Make Time
by bren97122
Summary: This whole time, Jack Joyce has been told that the past cannot be changed, no matter how hard you try. It's impossible, after all. But, Jack has been seeing a lot of impossible things happen as of late. He made a promise to Beth Wilder, the most amazing woman he ever met, and intends to keep it- no matter what. (Contains spoilers. Jack Joyce/Beth Wilder)
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:**

**After finishing Quantum Break, I find myself completely obsessed with Jack/Beth. This gem of a game will most likely never get a sequel, which leaves us hanging with Jack's final promise to save Beth, and of course, see their relationship to develop further. **

**So, here is my contribution to this fandom. It's sort of a fix-it, I guess, since time travel is very useful in that regard. I may have glossed over some of the more technical details, but hey, you're here for the Jack/Beth and so am I! **

**The Quantum Break fandom is quite small, but I want to share this regardless. I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

_Can't change what's done_.

That's what everyone told him.

_Everything you've done has led up to this. Messing with the timeline could have unfathomable consequences. _

Jack Joyce was never the kind of man to just lie down and accept things because "_that's just the way it is._"

The Fracture. The whole sorry mess he got wrapped up in. The events of a very long 26 hours. A lot of people died because of it. People killed during stutter-related disasters. People Jack had killed.

Jack was no stranger to death. It was not the first time killing people. He had gone down a path where he had put the sights of a gun on the head of someone else. But, that was different, he told himself. Those people he killed? They deserved it. They weren't upstanding citizens. He was not good, but they were worse.

But all those people he killed to "save the universe" or whatever it was he ended up doing- they didn't deserve to die. Did most of those Monarch grunts even _know _what they were fighting for? Most of them were just guys trying to earn a paycheck. Jack did not have much of a choice at the time and he certainly was not averse to doing what needed to be done to stop the Fracture. But, he was still unlucky enough to have a conscience.

Of course, there were others who got caught up in all of this bullshit. They died for it, too.

Liam Burke. He just wanted to protect his wife like any loving husband would have done. And he was willing to do anything to make it so.

Charlie Wincott. Just an average guy who tried to do something right when push came to shove.

And of course…

Beth Wilder.

Beth Wilder. A woman who had been waiting for the Fracture most of her adult life. Waiting for _him_, of all people. Guess destiny and all that has a funny way of working.

In a time when Jack had precious few allies and even less of an idea what the hell he needed to do, Beth was there. She knew what to do, where to go, and how to do it. The better part of her life was spent just waiting for this, waiting for Jack to show up for an ill-fated demonstration conducted by his former best friend.

When Jack met Beth, he quickly realized he had never met anyone like her. Headstrong, a bit stubborn, and determined to carry out her mission, no matter the cost and no matter what needed to be done. She was destined to stop the Fracture and she knew it. Jack was glad she was on his side. Her skills, connections, and unwavering conviction saved his life in 24 hours more times than he could possibly count.

Without her, the universe would have ended. The entire universe had Beth to thank for saving existence. But, no one would ever know. No one but Jack.

She had already sacrificed so much for this. Spending years training, avoiding relationships and stability, watching the months and years tick on down to that fateful day in 2016.

What Jack did not know until much later was that Beth had sacrificed even more to make sure she was there to do her part when the time came. She was cast adrift in time, all the way back to 1999. She was left alone for 11 long years, avoiding Paul and Monarch kill teams. 11 long, quiet, lonely years.

Beth made sure Will built the Countermeasure that would save them all. Made sure everything would fall into place. And, perhaps the most amazing thing of all, made sure she would be damned to this fate in order to ensure everything happened when it was appointed.

When Jack came back to 2010 to find her, he found a Beth broken by years of isolation, paranoia, and pain. This was not the woman he last saw in 2016. It was a person pushed to their wit's end time and time again, but had always found the strength to keep going one last time.

Beth did not deserve that fate. Beth did not deserve the existence she would have to eke out while Jack played crappy punk music, remaining blissfully unaware of everything that would happen to him.

And then she made one last sacrifice. She helped Jack secure the Countermeasure to save the future. Jack got to watch her die on the grimy floor of the abandoned pool hall, shot in the head by a Paul turned into a madman who had given up on the possibility of _another way_. Jack watched this through the veil of time, powerless to watch this amazing woman die while he could not do a single thing about it.

Of all the fates people did not deserve during the breaking of time, Beth's fate was the most undeserved. It had been a month since the end of the Fracture and Beth had occupied Jack's thoughts endlessly.

How many others suffered and died during that time? Jack would probably never know.

What he did know was that he had seen the impossible several times over. Nothing was impossible anymore. He knew he had to make it right.

All of it.

* * *

Jack was surprised Martin Hatch survived all this. He had heard conflicting reports in the aftermath that he had been killed. But, Jack really should not have been surprised. Hatch had a way of showing up when the time was just right.

"This is not the same Monarch you know, Mister Joyce," Hatch told Jack.

"Your exceptional qualities are obvious. And we both know you have certain needs our expertise could help with," he continued.

Jack weighed his words carefully. He could feel a burning sensation in his head. Like his mind was being torn in two different directions.

"We can help each other," Hatch concluded.

Jack felt the familiar sensation of time slowing. Before him he saw two echoes, two possible places his path could veer.

As he looked down both paths, it was as if he instantly knew where each road would take him.

_Option one. Reject Hatch, go alone. Try to figure it out by yourself. Be stubborn and be too good to admit you need help. This won't end well. You're gonna need some friends. _

_Option two. Take his offer. You'll soon find out Monarch should be the least of your worries. And besides. You made a promise. Like it or not, Hatch can help you keep it_.

Jack looked back to Hatch. The man was staring at him expectantly.

Jack nodded once.

"Alright. What do you have in mind?" he responded.

Hatch smirked. He placed a hand on Jack's back and pointed him forward.

"Walk with me, Mister Joyce. I have some things I would like to explain."

* * *

The Monarch headquarters was unusually quiet. The two men walked alone across an airy promenade which overlooked a lower, open-air plaza. Their footfalls echoed across the stark white hallways.

"You know, Mister Joyce, there was rarely a moment during this whole incident where I was not amazed by your abilities."

"Oh yeah?" Jack mumbled.

"Indeed. In less than twenty-four hours, you gained a very good feel for your Chronon abilities. Enough to use them to great effect in moving forward, despite Monarch throwing everything at you."

"Yeah, well, I'm a fast learner, I guess."

Hatch stopped suddenly. Jack did as well.

"That is why we need you. Monarch will need someone like you- someone who can easily change and adapt. And, of course, make great use of the tools given to them."

Jack scowled impatiently.

"Alright, what's your point?"

"The point, Mister Joyce, is that I can show you how to use your abilities to their full capabilities."

Jack scoffed and folded his arms.

"Yeah, because being able to stop time and teleport is just no big deal."

"It is only a _fraction _of what a Shifter can do."

"Is that so? In case you haven't noticed, I'm not exactly at the level of a Shifter yet. Not like Paul was at the end."

"The thing about Paul, Mister Joyce, is that he sought to rid himself of his condition. 'Chronon Syndrome,' he called it. He made it sound like a cancer, something to be fought. What Paul did not understand is that Chronon Syndrome, with time and practice, can be controlled. Mastered. Turned into a weapon by the so-called 'sufferer.' There's also one major advantage to being a Shifter. One that will aid you, and us, in the coming days."

"What's that?"

Hatch smirked, as if he was just waiting to deliver this revelation to Jack.

"A Shifter can travel through time naturally."

Jack was quiet for several moments. His arms dropped to his sides.

"Wait… are you saying- you could just, what, snap your fingers and be sent back to whenever you like?"

"Like all things, it is never that simple. Like using a time machine, travel can only be achieved between points of major Chronon particle releases. But, you would not be limited to activiations of a time machine. Around the world, throughout history, there have been instances of major Chronon releases, even before your brother began his research. You have quite a bit of choices. And yes- you can do it whenever you please."

Jack held up a hand to slow him down.

"Okay, implying I could do this, why waste all the effort to… train me or whatever when a time machine could just do the same thing? Maybe a little less efficient, sure, but same thing, a bit easier."

Hatch pointed at a closed door before them.

"Imagine for a moment that you must get through this door. There is something behind it you desperately need. It is a heavy, wooden door and there is no way around it. A time machine, despite it being a revolutionary piece of technology that undoubtedly has changed the face of science, is a primitive and crude method of time travel."

Hatch glanced at Jack to make sure he was following.

"Now, this door is the Meyer-Joyce Field that we must breach to travel back or forward in time. Using a time machine is like taking a sledgehammer or axe and repeatedly striking the door in the hope of breaking it down. You will, eventually, but it will be a messy, inefficient process. As a Shifter, you can instead… pick the lock on this door and allow it to let you in."

"Well, thanks for the analogy."

"I hope you see my point. Shifting is like using a scalpel on a surgical patient. Time machines are like using a chainsaw."

"Okay, I get the point. So say I do learn this. I'm sure there's a catch. Something you want me to do."

"I need you to change the timeline. We must prevent the Fracture from ever occurring in the first place."

Jack laughed. He was laughing at the absurdity of the statement and the sudden change of heart it represented for Hatch.

"I was told time and time again changing what has happened is against all the rules. It can't be done. And besides- weren't you the one who started that shit in the first place?"

Hatch smiled knowingly.

"The iteration of myself that existed during the incident was… misguided. I started the Fracture with an aim of creating enough Chronon active individuals to provide a first line of defense against what was coming."

"What was- what the hell are you talking about?"

Hatch's face darkened. He leaned toward Jack, voice low.

"Ever since your brother and Paul began experimenting with breaking the Meyer-Joyce Field, they were noticed by… other forces. Not from this world. No. Forces from other worlds, other timelines, other universes. Our little universe is certainly not the only one to experiment with Chronon particles. Others have mastered Chronon science to rip apart the fabric of spacetime itself. I have seen these forces when I sought to master my own Chronon abilities. It is best if we do not attract their notice. The Fracture served to only hasten their search for our universe."

"You're throwing a lot at me here."

"You don't need to understand it all at once. You just need to know there's a role we all need to play. You will help this entire universe survive. And besides- I know you want to fix everything that has happened."

"Like I said, the past-"

"The past is just one possibility. The multiverse has a way of… course-correcting. And besides. You have made it abundantly clear that you do not believe that time is fixed in place and immutable. After all, your experiences these past few weeks have proven many notions you once held as 'impossible' to indeed be possible."

"But Paul-"

"Paul was delusional and arrogant. He was so fixed on his own dogma regarding time loops and the unchanging nature of time that he refused to even _consider _any other possibilities. What he researched had to be the be all, end all."

Jack remained silent. What Hatch told him went again everything he had recently learned. It sounded too good to be true.

"I know what you're thinking," Hatch said, reading his mind, "that this all sounds too good to be true. It's not. I have personally experienced it. And you hold onto hope. You want to change things and I can give you a way. You can bring back those who suffered and died needlessly. I know you want to do that more than anything."

Jack gazed downward, contemplative.

_I made a promise. _

_The last time he saw Beth. The woman was frozen in time, unaware he was there, back to see her one last time. The past was the past. He could not save her. Her fate was preordained the moment she was born. _

_But he damn well would try. _

"_I'll come back for you," he whispered into her ear. _

_Jack walked away, not sparing a glance back. Because he would see her again. No matter what. They will meet again. _

Jack looked up at Hatch.

"Alright. I'll do it."

Hatch smiled, but it was a knowing smile. As if he knew he would say that.

"We can begin now, if you would like."

Jack nodded curtly.

"Let's do it."

* * *

It took… a while. To put it lightly. Hatch bought Jack to another place. Maybe it was the End of Time. Hatch said it was a universe "out of time." He refused to elaborate, of course.

There, Jack spent weeks, months, years, _centuries_, maybe. This place… it felt unreal. Time just blended together. His thoughts were hazy and unfocused. Yet, he trained. Hatch taught him how to control the Chronon Syndrome that infected him. True to his words, Jack found that controlling Chronon Syndrome unlocked… a lot.

Traveling naturally through time was just the start, really.

Hatch had him focusing on controlling his abilities. He did not speak of what was coming, what he was so concerned about. Just getting Jack up to speed as fast as possible. Jack didn't mind that. He wanted to focus on one thing at a time. And right now he was focusing on _changing things_.

_And coming back for Beth._

* * *

They came back and only a day had passed back in the "normal" universe. Jack was past the point of questioning how this all worked. What mattered to him now was getting back to the past and fixing things.

He stood in a sterile-white Monarch lab. He was alone. Beyond what he assumed was a one-way mirror, Hatch and other Monarch scientists stood and waited for him to travel back in time.

Such a strange thought. That he could just (metaphorically) snap his fingers and be back in the past. And this time, he would not just be a helpless observer, unable to change what was already unfolding. This time, he would have the power to create an entirely new timeline. Jack hoped that kind of power wouldn't go to his head.

Hatch had told him "when you're sent back, you will be the only one with the ability to change things. How you do it will be up to you."

"Why me?" Jack had asked, "I know there aren't that many Chronon active people out there, but why me? Why are you trusting me to fix this? Why can't you just head back and do it?"

Hatch gave one of his enigmatic, knowing smiles.

"Because you're just the man for the job. I have a part I must play, too. So do others. We all have roles and all of these roles are vital for allowing this universe to course correct."

The Monarch scientists left him alone in the room to prepare himself. He was told to travel whenever he was ready.

Jack stood staring at the wall opposite him. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, going over his plan one more time. He could travel to a time before the university time machine's activation, about fifteen minutes or so. The preparations for activating the machine Paul had done prior to his arrival had released enough background Chornons to make this so. He had to work quickly, prevent Paul from activating the machine in the first place. Then he had to find Beth. He would have time for that after completing his goal.

And then what?

He thought about the last thing Hatch had told him.

"One last thing I should mention, Mister Joyce. With enough focus, you can bring something back to the present with you."

He paused.

"Or someone."

Beth. He needed to save her and… and…

Bring her back with him? Would she even let him do that? What would be the consequences of doing this?

_The multiverse has a way of course correcting_.

But, why? Why do all this? Preventing the Fracture would save her. She would be around, right? Be around to live her life, without having to suffer those years alone and have to witness the End of Time.

Unless the whole idea of "course correcting" meant that people who were inexorably fated to die would die. Maybe Beth wouldn't die as the result of Paul shooting her. Maybe she would get into a head-on crash with a drunk driver. Maybe she would slip in the shower and break her neck. Maybe she would be struck by lightning or the other millions of possibilities.

But, his actions would create an entirely new universe. And as far as he was concerned, he would be making the rules. He would make sure that in whatever new universe his actions created, Beth would be safe.

Jack opened his eyes and stared at the wall once more. Why would he go through all this effort? For her? Why?

_Because, _he thought, _she doesn't deserve what happened to her. No one does. She sacrificed everything to save us all and the world would never know. The least she deserves is a shot at a normal life- as normal of a life as we can all have, I guess. And she saved your life more times than you can admit. She risked it all to make sure you got to where you needed to be. Return the favor. _

_You're doing this because she deserves something good. She's something else. You've never met anyone like her. You're gonna save her because she's someone you wouldn't mind getting to know better, beyond getting shot at together and trying to fix time. You're saving her because- oh my God, Jack, are you in love with her?_

Jack blinked, his mind racing due to what his inner voice just accused him of.

_Holy shit, _he finally realized, _I am in love with her_.

24 hours with her and he _fell in love with Beth Wilder_.

_Guess love at first sight isn't a load of crap after all, huh? _

Jack finally realized something. He realized that a woman like Beth Wilder is someone who comes around once in a lifetime. And he _needed _to make sure she was alive because he loved her and needed her- simple as that. Jack knew right then and there he would go against the laws of the multiverse for her. They had been bought together for a reason.

Enough thinking. Time for action.

Jack shifted his weight and rolled his shoulders.

"Alright…" he mumbled.

He took a deep breath and focused on the time where he needed to be. Soon enough, he could see an echo forming before him. Riverport University…

The image was hazy. Jack gritted his teeth and focused more on clearing the image, making something tangible. The swirling Chronon particles slowed and began to form a tear in the air in front of him. It started out small, but Jack focused on growing it. Soon, it began to enlarge, enough for him to step through.

Jack took a step. Beyond the tear was Riverport University, clear as it was when he stepped out of the taxi a month ago. Every step he took was a struggle. It felt like he was being torn in a million different directions. The sounds of voices and other, unidentifiable sounds swirled around him. Half-formed silhouettes of people drifted around him.

_Taking a time machine is a lot easier_, Jack managed to think to himself as he summoned all his energy to take a step through the tear.

He disappeared into it. The tear closed a moment later, as if it was never there.

* * *

The next thing he knew, he was back. October 9th, a little before four in the morning. Riverport University, where it all began. He had arrived on the other side of the campus square, but he could see where Paul's lab was held. Jack knew he would have to work quickly. Not taking a moment to reminisce, Jack broke into a jog and quickly made his way past the now quiet protest tents, where the students protesting the destruction of the university library had mostly gone home for the night.

Jack knew Amy Ferrero was around, still trying to fight the good fight. She was a good woman. He hoped that she would be okay in the next timeline. Jack also knew his past self would be making his way toward the lab right now. He had a head start, so they would not run into each other. Hopefully. That might complicate things.

And where was Beth? She was probably arriving along with the Monarch teams looking to secure the time machine's core. He could imagine now that she was preparing the final details, readying herself to carry out the mission she had trained for all these years. Preparing herself to find and finally reveal her existence to Jack Joyce. What a turn of events this would prove to be when Jack found her first.

What would he say to her? Jack had thought about it often over the past month, among his many thoughts about Beth. The things he would say to her if they ever met again.

_I never thought I'd see you again._

_Beth, we did it. We fixed the Fracture. You're done._

_I told you I'd come back._

_Hey, wanna get some drinks when we're done with all of this? We need to celebrate._

_That was a hell of a first date_.

Jack was not sure if he would be adequately prepared to finally see her again, no matter how much he mentally prepped himself. He supposed he would just improvise something profound. He would also try not to just completely dump information on Beth and lose her in all of it.

Jack spared a glance at his watch. He was taking too much time thinking and not enough time running. While he still had time, it would probably be wise to have some time to spare in case of any unforeseen circumstances.

_I'm coming, Beth, _he thought to himself as he broke into a run.

* * *

_That was a lot easier than I thought_, Jack thought as he stood, fire axe held tightly in both of his hands.

Behind him, Paul Serene stood with both hands on his head, mouth agape in a mixture of stupefied surprise and utter horror.

"Jack!" he cried, "what the _fuck?!_"

The time machine's power supply had been severed by three strikes from the fire axe Jack borrowed on the way into the lab. The control consoles were lying broken on the ground, slashed, bashed, and stomped on. Sure, the damage could be repaired, but it would take at least a few days to get all the components shipped and installed. But, that was more than enough time for Jack. Monarch would arrive to secure the core, rendering it inoperable. Without the initial time machine activation, the Fracture would not happen. Jack had effectively changed the past.

He had one question in his mind, though.

_Since I prevented Paul from traveling in the time machine, who founded Monarch? And who would order the time machine's core to be retrieved without Paul?_

Maybe Hatch was back in this time, too. Doing… whatever it was. Jack decided not to think too hard about it.

Jack had not said a word to Paul this entire time.

He turned, dropping the axe on the floor with a clatter.

"Paul," he finally spoke, "whatever you do, you need to abandon all your time travel research. It's not gonna end well. Trust me. If you build another time machine, I'll have to come back and do this all over again."

Paul tried to speak, but it came out as a stutter.

"Wait, what are you saying. Y-you- Jack, are you from… this time?"

"No. I'm from the future. About a month from now, actually."

Such words would usually be regarded as a load of bullshit. However, Paul's eyes widened.

"Holy shit. Oh, Jesus. You're serious, aren't you?"

"Very."

Paul scoffed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. He walked over and leaned against a table for support.

"Oh, God, Jack. What did I do?" he asked, despondent.

"A lot. But, don't worry about that. Alright?"

"I-"

Jack held up a hand to stop him.

"Listen. I've come back to… change things. I come from a future where your experiment almost broke time."

"A Fracture…" Paul murmured.

"Yeah. _The _Fracture."

"Will was right."

"Will was very right."

Paul buried his face in his hands.

"Oh, God. I'm so sorry."

Jack approached him and put a supporting hand on his shoulder.

"Listen to me, Paul. I don't know how exactly it will happen, but things have changed and they will be different. My past self should be on his way soon. Tell him you can't do it. Send him on his way. Go to a bar, catch up over some beers. Or whatever. I gotta go."

"Wait, what? Go? You do all this and now you have to go? Jack, I have so many questions!"

"I know, Paul, I know. But I have other things I need to fix and I don't know how much time I have to do it. So, I'm sorry."

"Where are you going?"

Jack was already heading for the exit.

"I have a promise to keep," he said as he pushed open the door.

* * *

The walk to the building's rotunda was much quicker and easier without legions of Monarch troops trying to perforate him. His mind was racing. And it was having doubts. A very bad time for doubts.

Jack considered just aborting the mission right then and there. He already fixed the timeline (in theory), why risk fucking it up now? Maybe… maybe he could find Beth in the new timeline.

_No. No, Jack. No matter what happens, you'll save her. That's what you told yourself. Laws of the multiverse and all that other shit can go to hell._

He reached the door to the rotunda. Placing a hand to push it open, Jack paused upon hearing a voice from within the room. He leaned against the door to listen.

"Bandit two-one, this is Bandit two-two. What's the status on the time machine?" a woman said.

Jack gasped.

It was Beth.

"_Uh, we're not sure. The machine apparently hasn't been activated yet. Mister Hatch said we should move to secure anyway. Airlift Prime is on its way._"

"Hatch? What about Monarch Actual?"

"_No one's heard from Monarch Actual. Current orders from HQ are to standby and let the extraction team do their thing._"

"Copy that. Bandit two-two out."

Jack opened the door slowly and quietly, slipping in without making a sound.

In the center of the room, staring at her walkie-talkie, was Beth. The soft light from the room's overhead lights fell upon her freckled face, her cool blue eyes locked in concentration as she stared at her walkie-talkie.

"What the hell is going on?" she muttered.

Jack's stomach did a somersault. It was Beth, alive and well and… and…

_God_, she was so beautiful.

_That's the most beautiful, perfect woman in the entire universe, _Jack's inner voice said.

_She's the full package, isn't she? Beautiful. Smart. Resourceful. Can kick your ass. _

Beth was impatiently tapping the side of her walkie, as if she was considering her next play. Jack figured she was so used to following the instructions of her notebook. Jack's actions had obviously thrown a wrench in her destiny.

_Maybe I really can change things after all, _Jack thought.

"Jack Joyce… where the hell are you?" she thought aloud.

Jack's heart pounded against his ribs. He took a single step, unsure if this was real, unsure if his very presence would be enough to alter the timeline as he had made it.

_No matter what._

He stepped out from his hiding place.

"Beth!" he called.

Beth wheeled around, her eyes widening as they met his own.

She blinked, surprised, most certainly not ready for this.

"You're Jack Joyce…"

Jack laughed. He jogged over to her.

"Yeah. Yeah, I am."

Beth shook her head slowly.

"You know me? But… how?" she whispered.

"Beth, Beth," Jack started, holding up his hands to calm her.

"Jack, what is going on?" she demanded.

"Beth! Listen to me! The Fracture- I stopped it. It's done. Well, I think so anyway. In about twenty-six hours, me and Will stop it at the swimming pool. We fix time."

Beth took a step back, pointing an unsteady finger at him.

"You- you're from the future?"

"Yes!" Jack cried, happy she was getting it.

"What are you doing here?!"

Jack was smiling, but Beth was obviously distressed.

"Beth, listen! Please! I've come to change the timeline. We do fix time- but it doesn't work out perfectly. Me and Hatch, and Monarch, we're trying to make a new timeline. One where no one has to die. One where the Fracture doesn't happen in the first place."

"That's imposs-"

"Before you tell me the past is fixed, I know, I know you've been talking to Will. I know all the 'time is an egg' metaphors. That's not the rules. The rules can be changed."

"Why are you here, then? Talking to me? Couldn't this… I don't know, contaminate the timeline or something?"

Jack chuckled and shrugged.

"I don't know, Beth. I don't know. I keep getting told the universe course-corrects, but I guess I'm just trying to make sure it course-corrects the _right _way."

Beth blinked. She took a step closer to him.

"Jack," she said quietly, "did something happen to me? In the future?"

Jack was not sure how to answer. How could he answer that? He did not want her to know what she would have to endure.

"Yeah," he answered simply.

"But," he continued, "I made a promise. To you. I told you… I would come back for you. And I guess I'm here to keep that promise."

Beth's expression softened. She holstered her walkie and looked down at the ground briefly.

"I'll come back for you…" she whispered.

"What?"

"I've been hearing that. Sometimes. Randomly. Like an… echo, I guess. Don't know where it was coming from. Thought I was going crazy."

"It was you," she finished, finally looking up to meet his eyes. Jack searched her eyes. They were bright, full of vigor. Victorious, even.

Jack chuckled and nodded.

"Yeah, yeah it was me. Beth, we won. Your job is done. We stopped the End of Time. And now I'm here because I told myself I would do anything, _anything_, to keep that promise to you."

She was silent for several long moments.

"Beth, it's over. You don't need to do anything-"

Beth reached up and cupped his cheeks in her hands before leaning up to kiss him on the lips.

Jack, surprised, stared at her wide-eyed.

Beth closed her eyes and reached a hand up to run it through his hair.

_Holy shit_, Jack managed to think.

She briefly pulled her lips back from his, but she was still just a few inches from his face. Beth reached over and grasped his left hand and gently guided it over to her hip.

"Why don't you kiss me, you big damn hero?" she whispered.

Jack grinned and took the initiative this time. He placed a hand on the back of her head, his fingers weaving their way into her hair. Many times over the past month, Jack had often thought about this, although he would never have admitted it. After all, it was just a fantasy, not something that would ever conceivably happen _ever_.

There was just no way a woman like Beth Wilder would want anything to do with him, other than perhaps working together to save the universe and other such things. She was _perfect_. And he was… Jack. For the first time, Jack was glad he was wrong.

Their lips met once more, Jack closing his eyes and letting the moment take him. He pulled Beth closer to his chest, using his free hand to push a stray lock of red hair behind her ear. They continued to kiss, completely oblivious to the outside world. If Jack was wrong and he did not change things, if the End of Time occurred right this very minute, he would be more than happy to be frozen in an endless Stutter kissing Beth.

But at the same time, that would mean they wouldn't get a chance to see what happens next, Beth wouldn't get a chance to _live_. He wouldn't get a chance to be a part of that life.

Regardless, Jack just decided to just let this moment happen.

They broke apart, Jack's hands tangled up in her hair. Beth gently traced her thumb down Jack's cheek. He did not want to let her go. If he did, he was afraid that she would suddenly disappear, erased from the timeline due to whatever bullshit rules of time existed. He lost her once and he would _not _let her be lost again.

He tried to speak. It came out as a low, breathy "_Beth_."

Beth softly embraced Jack. Almost instinctively, Jack put his arms around her, as if to protect her, to anchor her to him. Her head resting on his chest, she finally spoke in a low whisper, as if Beth's words were for him and no one and nothing else.

"I don't know what will happen in the future. I don't know what you or I do twenty-four hours from now. I don't know what happens to me, what you ended up having to do to stop all this. But, whatever did happen, whatever it was, I think that we needed to do that."

Jack chuckled. He stroked her cheek, still so afraid to let her go.

"I think we both deserve it."

Beth's walkie-talkie buzzed. They both jumped. Jack had completely forgotten what was going on right now.

"_Uh, Bandit Two-Two, Mister Hatch is telling us to pull back. Monarch Actual is completely MIA. Do you know what the hell is going on here?!_"

Beth shut off her walkie-talkie and tossed it away.

She turned back to him.

"You do that?"

"Well… I think Hatch had something to do with that. I prevented Paul from getting in the time machine in the first place."

She smiled.

"That's some paradox you've just made."

"You're telling me."

Beth smiled again and went in for a gentle kiss.

She let go of him and Jack was relieved to see that she did not immediately fade away.

"So, what now?" Beth asked.

Jack walked up to her and softly wrapped his arms around her body from behind. He leaned his head on top of her own. Of course, their height difference was perfectly conducive to this.

"That's a great question. I'm making this thing up as I go."

"That's very reassuring, Jack."

Jack released her and came to her front, grabbing her right hand and placing it in both of his own.

"Beth, come back to the future with me."

She blinked.

"Jack… I'd love to, but do you really think that's such a good idea? Monarch has probably secured the core by now, I don't know how we'd get back to your time."

He smiled broadly and shook his head.

"We don't need a time machine. Hatch… he showed me how to travel through time without a time machine."

"Holy shit. Really? You can do that?"

"Believe me, I'm just as surprised as you are. Of course, like the machines, there's limitations, but I'm confident I can bring both of us back. We can talk more about it later."

"But, still, should you take me? Would that hurt the timeline?"

"Look, I don't know how this shit works. I'm still trying to figure it out. But I think the universe will allow me to bring you back. It'll allow me just this little thing."

She did not reply, obviously concerned with the implications.

"Beth, all I have wanted is to see you again. I told myself I'd do anything to make it happen. The future we'll come back to will be a new one. And it's the one I want you to see. You've given your life to this mission, given it to make sure I'm where I needed to be. You're the reason I was able to come back and fix everything. So please. Let me give you the chance to live."

He reached her hand up and kissed it.

"Please?" he asked.

Beth smiled and chuckled.

"Alright. That's a pretty good pitch. Let's go back then."

"Alright!" Jack cheered.

He refused to let go of her hand as he formed the tear that they would use to travel back to November 2016. Beth watched, enraptured as Jack focused on enlarging the shimmering tear enough for them to pass through.

The space around the tear deformed and stuttered as Chronon particles danced around the natural time machine Jack had created. Jack led the way, his hand still holding Beth's.

He took a step through the tear first. Jack paused, turning back to Beth.

"Come on. Let's go see the future you've made."

Beth grinned and followed him. The two stepped through the tear, which closed after they were both through.

Immediately, the old timeline collapsed as the new one took its place.


	2. Chapter 2

In a flurry of shifting Chronon particles, Jack Joyce and Beth Wilder materialized in the center of the same room Jack had left what seemed like quite a while ago. Well, maybe. Maybe for those in the room, mere seconds had passed. Or maybe a whole decade had passed in the meantime.

It mattered very little. What mattered to Jack was the fact that he had done what everyone had told him was impossible. He changed things.

_I saved Beth_.

Beth was next to him. Their hands were linked, neither wanting to let go for even a moment.

"Where are we?" Beth asked.

"The Monarch HQ. Where I left to get this thing started."

She looked around. The grip on his hand tightened.

"Well… I haven't disintegrated. Yet. So, all's well so far. What happens now?"

"Beats me."

Right on cue, the door to the room swung open. Hatch strode in, followed by a woman in a Monarch lab coat and two uniformed security guards.

"Mister Joyce. I'm impressed," Hatch said, clapping his hands together.

"Oh, is that so?"

"Indeed. You did a superb job. As far as I can tell, we have successfully changed the past and created a new timeline."

Jack looked around and chuckled.

"Seems the same to me."

Hatch paced across the room.

"On the day he was supposed to perform a demonstration of actual time travel to his best friend Jack Joyce, Paul Serene suddenly decided to stop all research into the subject. Project Promenade was shut down and Monarch Solutions took possession of all documentation, technology, and related materials. As such, there was no malfunction with the university time machine… and no Fracture," he explained.

Hatch suddenly stopped.

"Ah. Miss Wilder," he began, as if he just noticed she was there, "welcome back."

Beth eyeballed Jack. She slowly, very reluctantly let go of his hand.

"Yeah. I'm here."

The woman in the lab coat came to Hatch's side and smiled at Beth.

"Miss Wilder, we've been expecting you. Please, come with us."

The two security guards also stepped forward, but did not do anything other than make their presence known. The Monarch scientist put a gentle, but firm, hand on Beth's back and urged her forward.

Jack put out a hand in protest.

"Whoa! Hey! Where the hell are you taking her?!"

"Mister Joyce, please calm down," Hatch intoned, raising a placating hand.

"Miss Wilder needs to be _debriefed_ about everything that has occured. She does not have the knowledge you, me, and the rest of this organization possess."

Jack frowned, not pleased. The very last thing he wanted was to let her disappear, even for a moment. What if he lost her again? What if…

"Jack," she whispered to him, "I'll be fine. You _did _spend enough time with me to see I can take care of myself, right?"

Their eyes met. She smiled faintly, just enough so he could see.

"Yeah. Yeah, I did."

"I'll see you later then, okay?"

"Okay. Yeah."

Beth walked to the exit, the Monarch personnel trailing her.

"Alright," she said to them, "let's get this over with, I got things to do."

As Beth exited, she looked over her shoulder at him and flashed a grin.

Jack's heart leapt. Hatch was saying something, but he was not hearing the man's words. Instead, he thought about his and Beth's lips pressed together, her hands in his hair. How he wanted to feel those sensations once again.

"Mister Joyce?"

Jack blinked. Hatch was staring at him expectantly.

"What? Uh, sorry, I was… kinda… lost there for a moment."

"I asked you if you would like to take a walk with me so I may debrief you as well."

Jack held out an arm.

"After you."

* * *

"Quick thinking there. Preventing Paul from entering the time machine in the first place."

Jack cast a sideways glance toward Hatch, who was walking next to him.

"Were you there? In the past, too?"

"I'm anywhere I am required, Mister Joyce."

Jack scoffed and shook his head.

"Does being a Shifter mean I need to speak in riddles, too?"

Hatch chuckled, the first time Jack heard the man react to humor.

"I must keep up appearances, Mister Joyce."

"Whatever. So, tell me, what's the deal?"

"Where would you like me to start?"

Jack stopped and turned to Hatch, who also stopped. Jack stuck his hands into his pockets.

"Will."

"Your brother is currently the Director of Chronon Research here at Monarch. Sofia Amaral is the Assistant Director."

Jack smirked. It was both ironic and, at the same time, well-deserved. After all, Will's research was the reason Monarch was able to do _anything_ in the first place.

"Paul?" Jack went on.

"Paul is the Director of Marketing."

"He always was a businessman first and foremost."

"Indeed."

"What about Beth?" Jack, "Or me. There's not… two of us running around, is there?"

"One rule of the universe is 'one iteration per timeline.' So, you are the only Jack Joyce and she is the only Beth Wilder. The universe has accounted for the appearance of you two. The people you know will remember you as you were- minus the events of the Fracture, of course."

"That's quite convenient."

"Creation is a beautiful thing, Mister Joyce. It has a way of accounting for all sorts of… adjustments."

"Charlie Wincott?"

"He is still a Monarch security technician. He and Fiona Miller recently announced their engagement."

"Well… that's good for him. What about Liam Burke?"

"Alive and well, and a soon-to-be-father."

"Amy Ferrero?"

"Very content after Monarch acquiesced to demands to cancel demolition of the Riverport University Library."

Jack nodded thoughtfully.

"Does anyone… remember what happened? You know, before."

"Researchers in Chronon Research, Multiverse Dynamics, and other essential personnel are privy to the events of the previous timeline. But, you, I, and Miss Wilder are the only ones here with firsthand knowledge of what happened during the events of the Fracture."

"So, pretty much, no one knows that the universe almost came to an end? And life is going on as normal?"

"That's correct."

"Hm. Well. I guess everything is 'fixed,' then. Or at least better than it was."

"I suppose it would be appropriate to say the situation is much more stable than it was originally. No one had to die needlessly. Everyone from your loved ones to the nameless Monarch security personnel that you easily brushed aside are still alive," Hatch replied.

He paused, taking a breath, certainly intended for dramatic effect.

"Are you happy with how everything has turned out, Mister Joyce?"

Jack sighed and shrugged.

"Yeah. I think I am."

Jack had thought about that question for several long moments before delivering his answer. On the surface, everything seemed _perfect_. Too much so, in fact. Was this really it? Did he really manage to undo all the damage of the Fracture? Just like that. It seemed too easy.

But, maybe, that _was_ it. Everything was where it should be. His best friend was in a position where his skills and strengths would be used effectively. His brother was in his element- messing with esoteric physics and the arcane workings of quantum mechanics and would finally be receiving the recognition he deserved.

And then there was Beth. Despite everything he had been told, everything he had seen, he never gave up hope that he would be able to bring her back. In the weeks that followed the Fracture, Jack endlessly concocted scenarios of how he could bring her back. He did not know any practical methods of doing so, but it was important that he held onto that hope.

Jack remembered finding her in 2010. He thought about it probably every night. Seeing her like that broke something inside of him. It had been just minutes for him, but for her, she was trapped in the past alone, completely alone, for eleven years. What she had to go through; Jack would probably never understand.

When he found Beth in 2010, she told him to give up.

_You have to let go!_ She told him.

Jack remembered how she looked at him. He had tried to grab her hand, reassure her the best he could. She pushed him away and planted a firm hand on his chest to keep him at arm's length. Gone was the light in her eyes that he was starting to grow accustomed to. She looked at him with sadness mixed with a bit of rage. Sadness that things couldn't be changed. Rage that he just refused to get it.

At that moment, Jack just wanted to scream at her.

_I'm not giving up that easily. If you've been keeping an eye on me for as long as you say you have, then you know that's one thing I don't do. Whatever it takes, whatever I need to do, I'll do it. We can change things. It doesn't have to be like this. I won't give up. And I won't let you go._

But he remained silent, unable to properly express what he felt. That's how it usually was.

Jack never really had a problem finding a woman to spend the night with. He had, in the past, occasionally found someone he would have liked to know better. But, anything that approached "relationship" status would inevitably fizzle out.

And the truth was he didn't really care that much if they did. Relationships, girlfriends- they were just things he pursued when he wanted and when it was convenient. Otherwise, whatever. He would find someone else.

But Beth… he quickly realized that she was not someone you simply _gave up_ on. Not someone you wanted to watch walk away.

"Are you still with me, Mister Joyce?" Hatch asked.

Jack blinked.

"Oh, yeah, sorry. I was just thinking."

"I see you're preoccupied, so I'll leave you be for now. Just one question before I go."

"Yeah?"

"Why Beth Wilder?"

Jack gave a slight shrug.

"Why not, I guess?"

"I am just wondering why you felt the need to bring her back with you. Of course, I see nothing wrong with this since I left it up to your discretion. However, I believe you said you barely knew her."

"You're right. I barely know her."

Jack turned on his heel and walked away. Behind him, Hatch chuckled.

A few days ago, he was sitting before Clarice Ogawa as she quizzed him endlessly about every detail surrounding the creation of the Fracture and its healing.

He got to the part that he dreaded recalling. Beth's death at the hands of Paul. He described how he had to watch her get shot in the head while he could do absolutely nothing about it. And to top it all off, he got to watch Paul walk away with the Countermeasure. The thing Beth died for had been in Paul's possession this entire time.

After it had happened, Jack tried to calm himself by forcing himself to focus on the mission. He had to get the Countermeasure back from Paul. Finish what she started.

_So what you did next… it wasn't personal?_ Ogawa had asked during the interview.

Jack remembered clenching his fists under the table, digging his nails into his palms so he could keep himself somewhat calm. Ogawa stared at him, as if she knew what he would say, but was waiting for him to say it.

_No_, he had simply replied.

Ogawa had smiled a patronizing smile.

_Okay. Please continue. _

She clearly did not believe him. She wasn't stupid. But that was the answer she was getting out of him.

* * *

Jack quickly got lost in the sprawling Monarch HQ. He did not have a uniform, let alone an ID, but no one ever stopped him. Hatch had apparently told everyone in the building to just let Jack wander around for now.

He found the marketing floor eventually. He walked into the sprawl of cubicles and tables, where Monarch employees were busy at work drumming up new ad campaigns. Only a few of them spared a glance up from their work.

At the end of the hallway was an office with a placard pasted next to the door- _Paul Serene, Marketing Director_.

Jack leaned in to look through the glass. Paul was there, staring at his computer monitor and typing away.

Jack froze. It was surreal seeing his best friend again, just as he remembered him before the Fracture. And this Paul was not a sociopathic killer. It was his best friend. The guy he grew up with.

Jack hoped.

With a knock, Jack pushed open the door. Paul looked up from his work and immediately jumped up with a huge smile on his face.

"Well, look who's here!"

Jack laughed, mostly due to his inability to react in any other way. The last time he saw Paul, he was hell-bent on killing Jack.

Paul approached with arms open for a hug.

"Didn't realize you'd be dropping in. You should've let me know! I would've cancelled all my meetings for the day."

Jack hesitated to go in for the hug.

_This is the guy who killed Beth and was willing to let the End of Time happen._

Jack smiled and put his arms around Paul before clapping him on the back.

_No_, he thought, _that was someone else. That wasn't Paul. This is the Paul I've known for as long as I could remember._ _That other Paul is gone_.

"I, uh, was coming to visit Will. Just for a bit. Thought I'd drop by your little kingdom for a bit."

"Well, me and my minions are doing just fine here. Next time you see an ad on the bus for a Monarch smartwatch, you can thank yours truly for that."

"I'll be sure to. Hey. Listen, it's been a bit since we've seen each other," Jack said as they broke apart.

"Yeah, brother, it has," Paul agreed.

"I think you, me, and Will should all go out for drinks or something. Sometime soon. Yeah?"

Paul gave Jack a friendly clap on the shoulder.

"Yeah. I think we gotta do that soon."

"I need to see Will. I'll text you, alright?" Jack said as he backed out of Paul's office.

"You got it, Jack!"

Jack walked away, feeling several things at once- most of them were good. He was glad his friend was back. Back to how it always was. Hopefully, they would be able to resume that friendship.

He wandered around for a bit of time. Monarch was busy. He wondered what exactly they were all working on now. What sort of new world-ending catastrophe they could possibly unleash.

Eventually, Jack managed to wander into the Chronon Research wing. A uniformed guard at the front desk looked up from him.

"Uh, hi, Jack Joyce, here to see my brother, Will Joyce."

The guard nodded and stood up. It was like he expected Jack to show up.

"I'll let him know you're here, sir."

Jack watched him press his keycard to the door and enter as it slid open. He realized he recognized the guard, but the man did not recognize him. It was one of the two men holding Amy Fererro in custody when Jack stumbled upon her. Jack had killed both of those men when they opened fire on him.

This would take some getting used to.

The door slid open once more a few minutes later, Will emerged. He had a huge smile on his face.

"And there he is!"

Will embraced Jack, who reciprocated. Will patted Jack on the back several times with his free hand.

"Hey, Will."

"Never thought you'd grow up to go and restructure an entire universe. But here you are."

Jack chuckled.

"Oh, so you know what happened?"

Will shrugged.

"Being a director means I get to know these things."

"You know we couldn't have done it without you. It was your Countermeasure that ended up fixing everything."

"I don't know. I wouldn't have known about _any_ of that shit if it wasn't for Beth Wilder."

Will's face lit up.

"I heard you bought her back with you. From the other timeline."

"I did," Jack replied with a nod.

"I'm glad. She's the reason we're all here and the reason Monarch is paying me two-hundred fifty grand a year for my work."

Jack laughed.

"Oh, man. That's a change from begging the university to give you a few more weeks on your grant."

"And I actually have people to build things for me. Listen, Jack. I know Monarch probably has some pretty bad connotations for you. I don't blame you. But, Hatch is right. This is a different Monarch. And we're doing great things."

Will sighed and put a hand on Jack's shoulder.

"I gotta run. I'm really busy and someone's gonna come looking for me soon enough. Tomorrow, we can sit down and talk about everything."

"Alright, man," Jack said.

They hugged once more. After breaking apart, Jack was hit with a sudden wave of… worry.

Will paused.

"I know that look. What's wrong?"

Jack exhaled sharply.

"I-" he started before faltering.

"Wait, I know. You feel odd about all this. Like I'm not the same person you've known. Jack, I know this stuff is… _out there_. I know it makes your head hurt just trying to comprehend it. But, I can promise you, I'm still your brother. Everyone you know is just the same as it was before that early morning you showed up at the university."

Jack relaxed and shook his head.

"I'm sorry, Will. It's just… yeah."

"Don't be sorry. I understand. Hey, I'm still trying to wrap my head around all this. And I'm the smart one here."

Jack laughed and jokingly shoved him.

"Oh, shut up. I did all the legwork to make this happen."

"Yeah, but you wouldn't have done anything if _I_ didn't build the Countermeasure."

Jack walked away from him, laughing.

"Whatever, man. Go back to dreaming up some other way to end the world and I'll go and fix it."

"You got it, baby brother!" Will called as he went past the sliding doors.

Will stopped short.

"Hey, Jack!"

"Yeah?"

"I know the last few years have been tough on us. I know I haven't been the brother I should be. But, I promise you, things will be different. We're gonna get back to how things were and how they should be. Promise."

Jack nodded, a large grin spreading across his face.

"Looking forward to it."

* * *

Jack had made a stop at the cafeteria, drinking coffee and absentmindedly staring at the people milling about below from the cafeteria's balcony.

"Mister Joyce?" a young woman's voice interrupted him.

He turned. A bespeckled, smartly dressed young woman was standing before him. She appeared to be college aged. A nametag identified her as Kate, an intern.

"Yeah?"

"Doctor Armitage wanted me to come and let you know that Miss Wilder is finished with her debriefing. The doctor figured you would want to see her."

Jack smiled.

"The doctor figured right. Lead the way."

* * *

Intern Kate lead Jack to one of the delightful "interview rooms" deep in the bowels of the Monarch HQ, a room very similar to the one Jack been sequestered in with Ogawa a month ago. In the hallway leading to the room, Jack ran into the researcher who had taken Beth with her.

"Doctor Armitage, I presume?" he asked.

She smiled sweetly.

"Yes, that's me. Miss Wilder is all done."

"Thank you. And thanks to Kate here for fetching me. I'm sure it wasn't easy."

Kate smiled awkwardly, flustered at his praise.

"Oh, uh, I just went to security and tracked you down with the security camera footage," she admitted.

"Thinking on your feet. Glad you're on our side."

"You too, Mister Joyce."

Doctor Armitage put a hand on Kate's shoulder.

"Okay, I think we should give these two some space. Let's go get some lunch."

They said their goodbyes and Jack stepped to the side to allow the two women to pass. He looked down the hall and saw Beth. She was sitting alone on a bench outside the interview room. Her hands were folded in her lap and she stared at the wall across from her.

Jack's stomach did a flip. What had they told her? Did she know the whole story, every single detail? A part of him hoped not.

Jack walked up to her, hands in his pockets.

"Hey."

She looked up and grinned.

"Hey."

"Can I sit?"

She gave him a look and rolled her eyes.

"Of course you can sit."

Jack took a seat next to her.

"So."

"So?"

"How was it? Did you get the full story?"

Beth shrugged and leaned back against the wall.

"Most of it, I think. The parts that matter anyway."

"Like what?"

"She started at the top. We meet at the university. We find Will's second time machine at the swimming pool. We grab Amaral from the Monarch Gala on Gull Island. That's not something I expected to do. We try to head back to 2010 to get the Countermeasure from Will. But, something happened. Amaral she… sent me to the End of Time. Right?"

Jack paused and gazed at his shoes.

"Right," he replied.

"She didn't really elaborate on what happened. Said it wasn't important."

_Wasn't important_.

Jack thought it was very important. But, at the same time, would someone _really_ want to know that they died alone, murdered after spending eleven painful years living like a ghost?

Jack wasn't too sure.

She turned to him, noticing his silence.

"Did something happen to me, Jack?"

He exhaled. Beth stared at him, searching his face for any sort of solid answer.

She reached a hand over and placed it on top of his own. Jack turned his hand over to grip her own.

"You can tell me. I want to know," she told him.

Jack nodded.

"Yeah."

Beth gripped his hand a little tighter.

"I figured."

"Do you want to know what happened?"

Beth was silent for a time.

"I don't know," she softly replied.

He nodded once. Jack was relieved in a way. The last thing he wanted to do was recount Beth's fate again. It was one thing telling it to an impassive Clarice Ogawa.

It was another thing telling it to Beth's face. The woman he was honest-to-God in love with.

They were silent. Contemplative. Their hands remained linked, fingers locked. Jack certainly was content to just sit there and hold hands. He was enjoying her company and was glad they got a moment to just enjoy the silence without the pressing need to keep the mission on track.

It had been an interesting day, to say the least. First, he changed history. Second, he changed Beth's fate. Last, he found out that his feelings were indeed not one sided.

"Hell of a day," Jack vocalized his thoughts.

"Hell of a day," Beth echoed.

"What now?" he asked.

Beth shrugged.

"I'm not really sure. I take it you didn't think this far ahead?"

He laughed.

"No. No, I didn't."

"Of course not."

"I have an idea."

Beth smirked, interested to hear this one.

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Well…?"

"Let's go out."

She shook her head in confusion.

"What do you mean 'out?'"

"Let's go on a date."

"A date?"

"Yes, Beth, a _date_. You have been on one of those, right?"

"It's been a while. A real long while. You know, I was kinda busy with the whole 'preparing to save the universe' thing."

"Well, now you don't have to worry about that now. Let's go… get drinks."

She was smiling.

"Of course, if you want to. If you don't wanna, that's perfectly fine-" Jack began to add.

Beth held up her hand to Jack's face. He stopped talking.

"Shut up. Of _course _I want to go out with you. What? You think I just kissed you for fun?"

"I-"

She leaned in and pressed her lips to his. Jack, taken by surprise once more, could only react with wide-eyed disbelief.

Beth broke her kiss. She rolled her eyes.

"You need to get used to that."

Jack smiled and put his hands on both of her cheeks before going in for a kiss she eagerly returned.

They slowly broke apart a minute later, their foreheads touching. Beth cupped his cheek in her right hand.

"Look. I like you. I'll admit that I have for at least the past few years," she told him.

"You do know that sounds a little creepy considering we didn't meet until, like, a few days ago?"

She giggled.

"Oh, shut your mouth. It's just that I spent all this time keeping track of you, making sure you were where you needed to be. My notebook told me to do so. But then, I started doing it because I wanted to. Something about you just made me want to keep up with what you were doing. Back then, I would always make some excuse. I would say 'oh, you gotta do it because the Fracture is happening soon!' But now I know it's because I actually liked you a little more than I was willing to let on. Creepy? Maybe. Do I care? Not really."

"That's okay. I… I like you too, Beth."

"That's certainly a relief."

"I want to make this work. I want to give you and I a shot at something real, something _normal_, even. I know you deserve it."

"We both do."

Jack sat up, hauling her to her feet with him.

"Okay, then. It's settled. You're going on a date with me."

Beth smiled and threw her arms around his neck.

"Lucky me."

"Let's walk and talk. Monarch's interrogation chambers aren't very romantic."

Beth gave him a quick peck on the lips.

"Let's get going then."


	3. Chapter 3

Beth Wilder looked at her watch just in time to see the digits turn from 9:59 to 10:00. The bus would be coming soon. She shifted, impatient. The droning buzz from the bus stop's single fluorescent light droned on and on and on and on. At least she was alone and didn't have to share this space with the other weirdos who took the late night bus.

It was ten at night, September 9th, 2004. Beth Wilder was 13-years-old.

She had more direction in life than others her age. For that, she had to thank her notebook.

The Notebook.

The one that the Woman From the Future carried in her arms when she approached Beth on that sunny day when she was an 8-year-old playing in her front yard. The Woman who claimed to be her years from now.

Beth didn't really have any doubt of that. Not anymore, anyway. Not after every single thing in that notebook had come true. Every little thing, down to the smallest, most inconsequential detail.

The Woman From the Future wrote that Beth had a mission that she would have to commit to, a mission that would begin just after four in the morning on October 8th, 2016. Twelve years from now. The Notebook said she should train in preparation.

_Don't rush yourself. Start with gymnastics_, the Woman from the Future wrote.

And that's just what she was doing. Because whatever that mission was, it was important enough for the Woman to find her in the past. Or for her to find herself. However it worked.

Beth was taking evening classes at a local gym in Downtown Riverport. Her parents thought she was insane. She never showed any inclination to play sports, not until now. They had had an argument the previous night. They thought Beth was losing her mind. The Notebook warned her of this. They would regard her interests in weapons and martial arts as bizarre, worrying even. They would notice the changes in her personality brought on by Beth's endless speculating about the nature of her mission, the forthcoming "Fracture in Time," and about her future self.

Beth knew she couldn't come clean. They would probably throw her in a mental institution. She had to admit- "I'm following instructions given to me by a woman from the future who I'm pretty sure is actually me from the year 2016 so I can save the world or something" did sound certifiably off-the-wall crazy.

The class she went to tonight went a little longer than usual. She got out late. Her parents were not very happy with her, so she knew better than to call them for a ride home. The bus it was.

Eventually, the bus trundled up to her stop. She climbed aboard, paid her fare, and took a seat somewhere in the middle. In this part of Riverport, the buses were usually empty after eight. That suited her. The late night bus rides were actually nice, in a way. They were some of the few times she could get some peace and quiet.

She pulled out the Notebook from her bag and studied it for the ride home. Beth was in the midst of making a mental note to find a Filipino Martial Arts studio when she realized the bus made a stop.

She heard someone else get on board. Beth spared a quick glance up.

She froze. It was him.

Jack Joyce.

_His name is Jack Joyce. Remember his face. He's going to become important down the line_, the Notebook had said.

Beth first saw him three years earlier, taking this very bus home with her. Jack was a scruffy kid with blue eyes, probably fourteen by now. Sometimes, he came on the bus with a black eye. Sometimes it was a cut on his forehead. Sometimes his knuckles were bloody and raw. And sometimes, rarely, he got on the bus with a smile on his face and no injuries. For some reason, Beth liked to see that.

Jack would make intermittent appearances on that late night bus. Sometimes, he would disappear for months on end. This worried Beth whenever it happened. A part of her said it was because he was vital for her future mission. Another part said it was because she genuinely cared what happened to him.

It was weird. She had never, ever said a word to him. The Notebook said to just observe, never contact directly. And Beth did that dutifully.

Why did she care about him, then? Why?

Something told her she had to. Because by 2016, the Woman From the Future seemed to believe she would care about Jack quite a bit.

Jack wordlessly stomped to the back of the bus. His right cheek was bruised. Jack stalked past her seat, sending the briefest of glances down toward her. Did he recognize her? He must have. They'd been taking the same bus together long enough by now. He had to have made note of the redhead girl his age who was always staring at her notebook.

With a sigh, Jack took a seat two rows behind Beth, on the right side of the bus. She made a furtive glance over her shoulder. Jack was busy staring out his window, looking contemplative and surely thinking about his life in a way 14-year-olds start to do.

Beth turned back to face her notebook. At that moment, she got a sudden urge to talk to him.

The Notebook had explicitly forbidden this in no uncertain terms.

_Learn what you can about Jack, study him from afar, but DO NOT APPROACH HIM DIRECTLY. You aren't the only one watching him._

Beth looked around the deserted bus. It was just her, the driver, and Jack. Who the hell was watching them? Unless the bus driver was an agent of Monarch Solutions. In that case, they would certainly be playing the long game since Beth was sure he had been operating this route as long as she could remember.

She couldn't help feeling this way. The Notebook said that he will be very important to the mission, to her life, come 2016. It also implored her to go and gather as much information as she could. Sure, keeping an eye on him was working out, but just imagine what she could learn actually talking to him. Surely talking to the kid once would not doom the entire mission. The curiosity of what exactly made Jack so damn special was eating her up.

Beth had sat up from her seat and gathered her things before her brain could tell her not to.

She tossed her bag into the window seat and flopped down onto the aisle seat to his left. The disturbance made Jack jump.

He turned to her, face neutral.

Beth blinked. Her stomach dropped and she had the feeling that she had made a huge mistake.

But, there was no going back now.

"Hi," Beth finally spoke.

Jack blinked back at her, seemingly confused.

A thought raced through Beth's head, one she never had before. He was… cute. Boys around their age were suffering through the throes of puberty. Jack certainly was too, but Beth had to hand it to him. He was doing it a bit more gracefully than most. And his eyes were really nice as well. She gave him that.

"Hey?" Jack said.

She was silent for a bit. The deafening awkwardness overpowered her.

"What… what are you doing?" she managed.

"I'm… sitting here. On the bus."

"Oh. Me too!"

Beth smiled. She meant for it to be a joke. Jack did not laugh.

This was turning out to be a bad idea. If Monarch didn't kill her, she might end up killing herself out of embarrassment.

She decided the best approach was the more honest one.

"I'm sorry. I just- I see you all the time here. And I just wanted to say 'hi,' for once."

Jack seemed to relax a bit. He nodded once.

"Sorry… I just… yeah."

"Bad day?"

"You could say that."

She reached out her hand.

"I'm-"

Beth stopped briefly. Her future self would probably want to smack her if she used her real name.

"Courtney," she settled with.

"Jack," he said as they shook hands.

But I already know that, she thought.

"So, what brings you onto the late bus?"

Jack almost unconsciously touched the bruise on his face.

"I was, um, hanging out with some people."

She nodded toward him.

"I guess it didn't end well?"

He chuckled.

"I guess it's not as unnoticeable as I thought, huh?"

"Nope. Sorry."

He shrugged.

"Whatever. When my brother asks, I guess I'll just pretend not to know what he's talking about."

"I can get that."

"What about you?"

"Oh, I'm just coming back from gymnastics."

"This late?"

"Yep. I wanted to get more practice in."

"Are you on a team or something?"

"Nah, I just do it."

"Cool. I don't do much sports."

"Besides boxing?"

He smiled.

"Besides that."

"So, are you in high school now?"

Jack shrugged.

"I guess I'm supposed to be."

"Oh, so, you're one of those guys?"

"What do you mean 'those guys?'"

"Those guys that likes to get in fights downtown instead of going to school."

"That's pretty accurate. It's more interesting anyway."

"So, what part of the city are you from?"

"I'm up in Daly Heights. You?"

"Baldwin Acres. Not too far from you, right?"

"No, it's not."

"Too far to walk from here, though."

"Why didn't you call your parents?"

Beth smirked.

"Well…"

"Let me guess…"

"I'm not really sure they'd answer," she replied with a slight smile.

"I feel that."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. My brother and I just kinda… do our own thing."

"What's your mom and dad say?"

Beth knew the answer, of course. She had to act like she knew nothing about him.

Jack's eyes filled with sadness. Beth hated herself for asking and forcing him to feel that sting of pain from his parent's death.

"They're not around anymore."

Beth gasped, despite the fact she knew very well that Anthony and Kathryn Joyce died in a car crash back in 1999. It was a genuine reaction, too. Maybe it was different actually seeing Jack and his memory of it.

"I'm sorry," Beth mustered. That was genuine as well.

"I didn't mean to bring it up," she continued.

He nodded once.

"It's fine, don't worry. You didn't know."

If only he knew.

"So," Beth started, hoping to get his mind off his parents, "what do you do when you're not off picking fights with people?"

"Guitar. I'm learning."

"Favorite bands- go."

"Blink-182. My Chemical Romance. The Killers. Uh… Taking Back Sunday. You?"

"This might sound weird…"

He laughed.

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah…"

"I'm interested now."

"Okay. I like music from the eighties. You know. Toto? Bon Jovi? Rick Astley? Whitney Houston?"

Jack gave a sympathetic shrug and smiled.

"I've heard of them, of course, but I couldn't say I know them."

"You're missing out!"

"Oh, I don't think so. I prefer modern music, Courtney. Not old people music."

Beth shook her head, mouth open in mock disgust.

"You take that back!"

"I don't think so! You know it's true."

"Shut up!" Beth laughed.

"God, imagine what it'll be like when you're older. Like, twenty, or something. It'll really be old people music by then."

"Well, those songs and bands are timeless! People will still be listening to Whitney and Toto years from now. Do you think people will care about your whiny emo music twenty years from now?"

"Hey! It's not whiny!" Jack whined.

"Sure."

"It's really not, it's like-"

"Sureeeeeeeeee."

Jack flopped back in his seat, happily frustrated. They both looked at each other, meeting each other's gaze and smiling.

For some reason, Beth liked that he was smiling. She was able to get his mind off of the things that were bothering him, whoever he had just fought, whatever was going on at home. And she was proud she did.

Maybe Future Beth was somewhere, screaming in anger at her for being so stupid as to actually go and contact Jack. She could be risking the entire mission!

But, Beth didn't really care. She was glad she talked to him.

Their conversation continued for several more minutes, until Jack's stop. They were both still laughing as he gathered up his things.

"Well, Courtney, it was nice talking to you," Jack said as he stood up.

"Yeah, you too. It was nice to have someone to talk to on the way home."

"Oh, definitely. Better than just sitting there."

"See you soon, I guess."

"Yeah, you too!"

Jack smiled over his shoulder as he bounded down the aisle and off the bus. Beth watched him take off jogging down the sidewalk, presumably toward his home.

She had learned nothing that would be valuable to her mission. She knew most of the things he talked about already. But it mattered not. She made contact with the scruffy kid that her future self promised would play a major role in the years to come.

Beth took the night bus two nights later. She was alone again and sincerely hoped Jack would be on tonight. But, he did not show.

He would be gone again the next night. And all the other nights after that.

Years later, Beth would learn that Jack had a fight with Will and ran off, spending his time with friends outside of Riverport for close to a year. When he came back to Riverport, he would live with Paul Serene's family on the other side of town. Beth would not speak to him again until 2016. Jack would not take the night bus again and would forget about his encounter with Beth until some years later.

* * *

Jack was busy. Well, not busy _per se_. He was busy being anxious.

He was sitting on the couch of the house Monarch had given him. It was a strange turn of events. In his last meaningful interaction with Monarch Solutions, the corporation was attempting to kill him and his brother. Now, under Hatch, Monarch had given him a humble two-story townhouse in the Rockfort neighborhood, a working-class part of Riverport that, in recent years, was straddling the line between a middle-class neighborhood and a gentrified, up-scale community. They were also going to hand him a monthly stipend for living expenses. Jack heard that they did this for all of its agents that handled more "sensitive" matters for the company, like Liam Burke. Helped keep them loyal, probably. Monarch owned this entire row of houses, apparently. He wondered if any of his neighbors were Liam Burke-types looking to keep an eye on him.

Jack was never really one to be concerned with luxury and living fancy. Back when he was in Southeast Asia, a roof and four walls was enough to keep him happy. An electric fan would have been a real luxury.

This place was nice, though. It had everything he would need to live comfortably.

When he had arrived at his new home, Hatch had been there to personally hand him the keys.

"Enjoy the house, Mister Joyce. It's a gift from Monarch," he had said, "but I just want you to know that we may need your assistance in the future. If we require you, we will let you know."

Hatch left him there in front of the garage, leaving Jack alone to ponder precisely what he had gotten himself into.

But, that was not his concern at the moment. At the moment, he was worrying about his upcoming date with Beth.

They had set the date earlier this week. When they were walking together through the empty promenade in Monarch's headquarters. Friday. 7:00 PM. He had suggested they meet at The Anvil, a bar in Downtown Riverport that was an old favorite of Jack and Paul growing up. Paul knew the owner pretty well and was able to convince him to serve Jack and their friends before they were twenty-one.

It was not a fancy place, but Jack hoped Beth would not be opposed to that. But, then again, she really didn't strike him as the fancy type. If she was anything like Jack, a place just needed the right atmosphere and cheap drinks to be the gateway to a good night.

Jack jumped to his feet. He started off into space sighed. An hour ago, he was going to get ready. He still remained in sweatpants and a white t-shirt. As he wandered into his kitchen, he glanced over at the light over his oven. It was 6:15.

"Oh shit," he mumbled before dashing to his bedroom.

The Anvil was a good twenty minutes away, if traffic cooperated, of course. Which it rarely did at this time in this neck of the city. Jack did not fix the entire timeline to be late to his first date with Beth.

He brushed his teeth and took a quick shower. That was the easy part.

Soon, Jack was before his wardrobe and closet, racking his brain as to come to a conclusion regarding his outfit. With the minutes ticking down, Jack made a rapid-fire decision. Black jeans. Slim fit, too, to show off his good side. A subdued, knit-pattern maroon henley. Black and white sneakers.

It was a bit chilly out, so Jack dug around for a jacket. His fingers brushed over the leather jacket he had worn during the events of the Fracture. Jack smiled, picking up a sleeve and looking it over.

No, he thought, you've seen enough action for a while.

Jack withdrew an olive green M65 field jacket. Gave off that "rugged, prepared for action, but not crazy" sort of look.

He looked at his phone as he gathered his keys and wallet.

6:35.

"Shit, shit, shit…" he chanted as he ran out the door.

* * *

He pulled up to the bar at 6:59.

Jack put his car into park and killed the engine. He groaned and put his hands to his face. The plan was to get there before seven. Get a good spot. Be ready for Beth. He had failed.

He emerged from his car and smoothed out his jacket. The only hope now was that she would not be upset at him for being late. Well, he wasn't actually late, but close enough to it.

As he walked to the bar, a voice caused him to freeze in place.

"Jack!"

He turned. Beth walked toward him, grinning.

Jack looked her up and down. His heart leapt.

"Wow," he whispered.

Beth obviously had no problem picking an outfit that worked for her. She was wearing tight blue jeans, ones that perfectly accented her figure, a clean, white blouse, black boots, and a matching black leather jacket. Her red hair was done up in a wonderfully messy bun, a far cry from the simple, practical ponytail he had up until now only seen her in.

Jack stared. Beth blinked. Jack continued to stare.

"You, uh, okay there?" she asked.

"Oh, yeah, I just…" Jack started.

Beth chuckled.

"Yeah?"

"You… you look really hot."

She laughed and pushed him lightly.

"Really? You're smooth."

"Oh, thanks, I try."

Beth took a step closer to him and draped her arms around his neck.

"You're doing something right," she said softly before leaning up to kiss him.

"So," she said once they broke apart, "come show me your dive bar."

Beth grabbed his arm and looped her own around it before urging him forward.

"Hey, come on. It's not a _complete_ dive. I pick good places."

"Whatever you say, Jack."

* * *

It had probably been years since Jack had last set foot in the bar. But, everything was just as he remembered it. Cozy, quiet atmosphere. The noise level was in the sweet spot where you could hear each other talk, but there was enough background noise to drown out conversations from one's neighbors.

They were already getting through their first drinks. Beth looked around the bar and nodded approvingly.

"This place is kinda cool. Gotta admit."

"I only pick the best."

She smiled and rolled her eyes.

"What?" Jack asked.

"I figured any place you'd hang out would slide more toward the 'dump' side of things as opposed to 'charming.'"

Jack laughed.

"Oh, come on. I pick good places. It's just that they're more… you know-"

"Blue-collar?" she finished.

"Sure. We can call it that."

"It's nice though. I mean that."

"It better be. I came here all the time with Paul and our buddies."

She gave a slight smile and twisted the bottle of her beer around on the table.

"It's weird. I know you and Paul were best friends. It's just… hard to imagine him not as the Paul Serene I know."

"Believe me. It was hard for me to come to terms with the fact that my best friend, who I've known for as long as I could remember, came back from the future as a sociopathic killer who was willing to sacrifice the entire world to make his plans happen."

"But you fixed everything."

"I did. I saw Paul in the Monarch HQ, you know. He's head of marketing now. He doesn't know a _thing_ about what happened in the other timeline. He's the same Paul I've known. It's weird, in its own way, but I'm happy."

"I'm glad."

"Beth, I know this might sound hard to believe for you, but Paul's actually a great guy. He's someone I can trust. Knowing I was going against him was really eating me up, back then at least."

"But, you went and did it because-"

"That was the mission."

"That was the mission indeed. And it all worked out, right?"

"Well, I'm here on a date with the most beautiful woman I've ever met, so, yeah."

Beth looked down, her cheeks red and a grin spreading across her face.

"We can thank Paul for that in its own roundabout way, right?" he added.

"Yeah. Yeah, I think we can."

"I'll be sure to let him know he's good at being a time-travelling matchmaker."

"I just have a question, Jack," Beth asked several moments later after taking a deep sip of her drink.

"What's up?"

"They told me that when the Stutters got worse, you headed to Monarch to find Paul and take the Countermeasure back yourself."

"That's what happened."

"That was a pretty big risk. I probably called you a lot of names when you told me your plan."

Jack's stomach twisted. He tapped the side of his bottle and exhaled. Beth had not been informed that by that point, she was already dead, and he went to the Monarch building to finish what she started.

_So what you did next… it wasn't personal?_

"Yeah. Yeah, you kinda did," he managed to lie.

Beth laughed and rested her head on an open palm.

"They were probably good ones too. What was I doing?"

"Staying behind and letting me do the hard work."

She flipped him off.

"Okay, fine, you were doing the mission control stuff. You were good at that."

"Damn right. But… my question is, they were telling me that at this point you were really gunning for Paul."

"I guess I was."

"What caused the change? You know, to get you from being on the run to on a warpath against Monarch?"

Jack was silent again. He managed to speak before Beth could notice anything wrong with this.

"You, actually."

It _was_ the truth.

"Me?"

"Yep."

"What'd I do?"

"You, uh, roused me. Let me know what I was fighting for."

She smiled and chuckled, sitting back in her chair.

"Did you have a crush on me, Jack?"

"At that point? Yeah, I think so."

"That's adorable."

"I am the romantic type."

She rolled her eyes.

"I spent a lot of time figuring out you were, exactly. In my profile of you, 'romantic' didn't come up."

"Maybe if you actually talked to me, then you would've seen!"

"Oh, nope. Future Me forbade that. Look, don't touch."

"That must of been hard," Jack said with mock concern, "having to keep your hands off this."

Beth flashed a flirtatious smile.

"I'll admit. Sometimes it was."

"When we were together back then, you weren't exactly very, uh, forward with me."

"Maybe that's because I was a little more concerned with stopping the Fracture than getting your number, Jack. It's how I am. You give me something important to do, I go and do it, get it done, and then worry about everything else."

"So, what, you approached going out with me all tactical and everything?"

"Oh, absolutely. I reconned this place yesterday. Picked an outfit that was the right mixture of 'looking cute' and 'useful in CQC.' Never know what might happen tonight."

They both laughed. Beth downed the last of her first beer and slammed the bottle on the table.

"That's the first one down," she proudly reported.

"You're beating me. Want some more?"

"Of course. The night is young, Mister Joyce."

"Alright then!"

Jack got up, intending to grab some more drinks. As he walked, he chuckled to himself.

Beth seemed happy. And for that, he was happy. To see her smile, having a good time, seeing her happy and free of the burden of her mission. The thing that made him smile was the fact that she chose to spend this night with him.

He returned soon enough with some fresh drinks.

"Can I ask you something now?" Jack said in-between their sips.

"What's that?"

"When's the last time you did something like this?"

"Like what?"

"You know. Going on a date with a relentlessly charming man."

"Oh, is that what you are?"

Jack scoffed and leaned back.

"I thought it was obvious!"

Beth pouted and gave a slight shrug.

"Don't remember that in my notebook."

"Whatever. You didn't get that far back then."

"Guess not. I'm making this up as I go along."

"Oh, I do that with most things. I think you've noticed."

"Believe me, I'm starting to think it's _all_ you do. Anyway… I'll be honest. High school."

Jack leaned forward, surprised.

"High school? You're kidding."

"Not kidding."

"Well, why?

"I was kinda busy. Come on, Jack. That's the reason I did most of the things I did. Preparing for the End of Time leaves you with not a whole lot of free time. That and I needed to make sure I was invisible. Less relationships meant less connections. Less connections made me harder to find."

Beth reached over and gently grabbed his hand.

"But since that's over," she continued, "I think I'm ready to make some of those connections I've been missing out on."

Jack smiled and entwined his fingers with her. He sat out of his chair, leaning over to give her a kiss.

He paused.

"Can I?"

"Of course," Beth said softly as she rose to meet him halfway.

The pair kissed briefly.

"I like how you decided to take the initiative this time," she commented when they broke apart.

"And how you actually asked, too," she added.

"Gotta make sure I'm not being too presumptuous. This is only our first date, after all."

"Oh, shut up," Beth said with a roll of her eyes.

She knocked back her beer quicker this time away. Jack noticed.

"You're going through these things quickly. Did part of preparing for the Fracture involve going to lots of frat parties?"

"Ugh, no way. It's just… I'm determined to do something tonight."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

"And what would that be?"

Beth leaned in, a devious smile spreading across her face.

"I'm getting absolutely _fucked up_ tonight. You're probably gonna end up carrying me out. So, stay somewhat sober."

He chuckled.

"Wow. This is a side of Beth I wasn't expecting to meet."

"It's a side of Beth I haven't really explored in a while. And you know what? I figure it would be a great time to get back in touch with it. After all. We fixed time. Ended the Fracture. Time to celebrate, huh?"

She raised her bottle, smirking.

"I'd agree," Jack said, raising his own bottle and clinking her's.

Beth set her empty bottle down and nodded thoughtfully.

"I think I can go for some shots right now."

* * *

Beth buried her face into her crossed arms on the table. She laughed hard, trying her best to stifle it.

"So, yeah," Jack said, finishing his story, "that's how me and Paul got banned from Salt Lake City and are currently considered enemies of the Mormon church. Nice place though. You should visit without me."

Beth raised her head. She was staring at him, attempting to keep a straight face. Her lips quivered as she attempted to suppress a grin. Beth gave up and began laughing again, flopping her head back down into her arms.

"What?" Jack smiled, "am I that funny?"

"No! No! Wait, yeah, you're actually pretty funny. It's just… I'm kinda buzzed. And when I'm buzzed, I get really giggly. It'll get worse the more alcohol you get into me, trust me."

"Oh, man. We gotta pace you a bit. Hey! I got an idea."

"What?" Beth said with a giggle.

"Let's play some pool."

"Drunk pool?"

"Oh, yes."

"I'm game."

Jack stood up. Beth stuck her hand out. Jack took it and helped her up.

"Let's go!" she declared.

* * *

"God. You suck at this."

Beth glared at him.

"I'm off my game."

"Were you ever on your game?" Jack snarked.

"Shut up, Joyce. I can beat your ass with this pool stick."

He held up his hands defensively.

"You probably could. I'm just being a smartass."

"That's one of your biggest talents."

Jack had already sunk two balls. Beth was unable to get one into a pocket.

She leaned over the table, trying to line up her cue with the white cue ball. Beth leaned over probably a bit more than was necessary. Jack was standing behind her, sipping on his beer. His eyes drifted downward.

When they first created an alliance that Jack felt back then would only be temporary, Beth had made a memorable comment to ward off his concerns.

They were walking to the front door of the decrepit Bradbury Swimming Hall. At the time, Jack was ready to run the moment Beth tried something, which he was almost certain she would. At the same time, he was deciding to give her the biggest benefit of the doubt he had ever given another person. She was one of the few people not shooting at him, so it was a start.

Beth had finished explaining how there was something in this dusty building they needed and Monarch wanted. Jack's eyes roamed over her from head to toe, most certainly finding her implication that Monarch was her adversary quite ironic. He quirked an eyebrow at the Monarch Solutions logo embroidered on her navy blue combat shirt.

_And yet you're wearing their uniform_, he commented.

Beth gave a very slight smirk at his remark. She walked away, leaving him where he stood.

_I like the way their pants fit_, she coolly replied.

Jack paused- they did fit quite well.

That's not to say that the skinny jeans she was wearing weren't doing her more favors than the Monarch tactical pants would; Beth Wilder was the only person he ever met that made cargo pants like a magnet to the eyes.

She looked over her shoulder. Of course, she had a grin waiting for him.

Jack quickly averted his gaze as her smirk mocked him, pretending to be very interested in the lamp hanging over the pool table. Her grin widened, having most definitely caught his staring and showing no signs of disapproving.

"Whatcha looking at?"

"Oh, nothing. You're doing it wrong," Jack quickly made up an excuse.

"Doing what wrong?"

"Lining up your shot."

"Oh, is that so? Why don't you come show me then?"

Jack chuckled as his bottle clinked on a nearby table, "Alright, why not?"

He came up behind her, Beth leaning back and nuzzling against his frame. Jack reached over to take her hands and guide them into their proper positions. The cue was hard, but her hands soft. In truth he had no idea what he was doing, this was all just a very convenient excuse to get closer; to call her bluff and hope it wasn't one.

"Gotta put them like… this," he explained as he rested his head on her shoulder.

"I was doing that, moron."

"Don't get fresh with me."

"Oh yeah?" she countered, still grinning.

"Yeah."

"What are you gonna do about it?"

"Not give you my pro-level pool tips."

Beth turned to him and gave him a quick kiss.

"I think I could live without."

Several feet away, four young women seated at a table watched this exchange with interest.

One of them shook her head with a sound of disgust.

"Ugh. I wish these two would just get a room already," she said, sipping her margarita.

Another one twirled her braided hair in puzzlement.

"I… feel like I know him," she said.

One of her friends laughed.

"Oh, shit, Amy. Don't tell me. Did you hook up with him last year or something?"

Amy Ferrero glared at her friend.

"No, I did not," she snapped, "he just looks familiar. Her too, come to think of it."

"Well go on over there and ask if they're looking for a third!"

Amy scoffed and stood up, stomping over to the bar to get a fresh drink.

* * *

Jack had some alcohol in him, sure. But he could handle his alcohol pretty good at this point in his life. With all the drinking the locals in Thailand did, he had to adapt or be left behind.

Beth had evidently not reached this point as of yet. She was was spinning and empty bottle on the table. Beth giggled madly.

"How you feeling?" Jack inquired.

She looked up at him, grinning dumbly.

"Oh, man. Yeah. I'm good. But, uh, I think I'm done."

"Really?"

"Jack, if I have one more, you're probably gonna end up dropping me off at the ER."

"And we don't want that."

"Nooooooooo, we do _not_."

"I'll get an Uber."

"Good idea!"

They paid their tabs and together exited the bar. Beth was hanging onto Jack for dear life as he ordered a car to come pick them up from his phone.

"Oh, man, what time is it?" she asked.

"A little after eleven."

"That's past my bedtime."

"Careful, Beth, your parents may be out looking for you."

She snorted.

"They can keep on looking, I don't care."

They settled on a corner, waiting for their ride. Beth snuggled against him.

"Hide me in your jacket. It's cold."

"It's not that cold."

"It's _cold_!" she protested.

She grabbed hold of one end of his jacket and forced his arm out of the sleeve. Before Jack could protest, Beth wrapped herself up in half of his jacket.

They looked at each other and she smiled wide.

"Anyone tell you… that you got really pretty eyes?" she asked.

"No, actually. Well, maybe."

"Mhmmm, well, I'm telling you. Forget the other girls that said that."

"Thank you. I like your eyes, too."

Beth leaned in and fluttered her lashes.

"Oh, don't we just have the best eyes in Riverport?"

"We do."

"You know something else?"

"What's that?"

She leaned in to whisper to him, like this was a big secret.

"You're really hot. Like, really hot. You know, my Notebook said I needed to keep an eye on you. And I did. And I would be like, 'damn, this Jack Joyce guy has it going on.' I really wanted to talk to you. But you know me, sooooo professional. Can't go out with the guy that needs to save the world."

"Since the world is saved, I think you're allowed to be a little unprofessional."

"You are so, so right."

The red Nissan Jack was waiting for pulled up. Their driver stepped out to open the door for them.

"Jack?" he asked.

"Yep."

"And Beth! Don't forget Beth!" Beth said, raising a hand up as she stumbled into the back.

* * *

Beth's apartment was modest and suitably low-key. Jack was quickly discovering that this was a defining characteristic of her's.

Jack helped her out of the car. Beth refused to let go of her hand.

"Okay, will you be okay to go up by yourself?" Jack asked, concerned.

Beth narrowed her eyes. She looked truly offended.

"You're coming up, too. Dummy."

"I am?"

Beth walked forward, gripping his hand and forcing Jack to come up with her.

"Yes, yes you are."

* * *

Beth did not have the luxury of having a place paid for by Monarch. As such, her apartment was a bit small, but it was no matter. Just enough to comfortably fit two people, it seemed.

She stumbled through the door, so unsteady that Jack made a move to catch her.

"Are you sure you're good?" he asked, concern in his voice.

"I'll live. Although I think that I'm finally feeling the effects of those four whisky shots I took at once."

She doffed her jacket and tossed it into a pile on the couch.

"Okay. I need a shower. I feel all… gummy. Must've been the gross bar you took me to."

"Hey, I thought you said that place wasn't so bad!"

She shrugged.

"I guess I was wrong…"

"Whatever. I don't remember you complaining."

"That's because I'm so nice and I like you so much."

She leaned up and gave him a quick peck on the cheek.

"Wouldn't want to go breaking your heart, right?"

He smiled at her.

"I would've survived, somehow."

Beth stepped back away from him, knocking into a chair in the process.

"I'm gonna go and take a shower."

"Okay. I'll be here."

"You better be."

Beth walked off to her bedroom. She paused at the threshold.

"And you better not get any ideas," she added, pointing an accusatory finger at him.

Jack held up his hands defensively.

"Me? Never."

Beth offered a suggestive smile and departed.

Jack took this time to wander around her apartment and gain a better idea of how Beth lived. One thing he noticed was how immaculately clean and organized she kept everything. Even after just a few days, Jack's place was starting to look like the disaster zones his places of residence always became. In Beth's apartment, not a single book was out of place on her bookshelf, there was no clutter taking up space on the kitchen counter, and even the chairs in the dining room were neatly pushed into place at the table. Her apartment looked like a model home one would see on TV.

He next looked to her mantle in the living room. There was a television and several photos set up on shelves. A few showed Beth as a child. One of them showed her, maybe ten years old, on the back of a horse. She was smiling from ear to ear, lost in the moment. Jack smiled as well, almost involuntarily, at the sight of Beth enjoying a carefree moment. She was a cute kid, too.

Another picture showed Beth at maybe twelve or thirteen sitting next to an older woman, who Jack assumed was her grandmother. Next to that was a teenaged Beth in a cap and gown, standing in-between a beaming man and woman- her parents most likely- at what he figured was a high school graduation. Jack wondered what their relationship was nowadays. Had that relationship been something she had to sacrifice to continue her mission? Maybe, Jack hoped, now she could try to fix everything she was forced to leave behind.

Jack settled back down on the couch. He could hear the water running in her bathroom from where he planted himself.

He had half a mind to wander in there and ask if she needed company. At this point, he was sure that she would be very open to such a thing. But, Jack still retained enough lucidity to talk himself out of such a course of action. She was drunk. Very drunk. It wouldn't sit well with him. Stuff like that never did.

Instead, Jack's eye caught a book on her coffee table. It was titled Quantum Mechanics the Easy Way. He chuckled, picking up the book and leafing through it. It seems that years and years of being exposed to all of this time travel junk at least made Beth somewhat interested in how it all worked.

He flipped through the pages, reading random excerpts and peering at the charts filled with esoteric calculations that peppered the pages. This book was apparently written by some physics professor at Texas A&M University. The writing reminded him of Will's ramblings on time travel and quantum physics, but just a little more organized. A little bit.

"Jack!"

Jack must have become so engrossed in it because Beth's voice made him jump.

"Oh, hey," he said as he put the book back in its place.

Jack looked up. She was wearing a purple bathrobe and it seemed like not much else. Her hair was undone, the first time Jack had seen it in such a state. It tumbled down her shoulders in auburn waves. Jack never realized how long it actually was.

"Well, I'm fresh and clean now," Beth reported.

Jack stared at her, almost slack-jawed. His eyes couldn't help but notice how she had loosely tied her robe, allowing Jack to leave very little of her body up to the imagination.

He stood up and swallowed hard.

"You look it," he somehow managed to get out.

Beth smiled.

"So. Uh, I think I'm gonna go to bed."

She took a few steps toward him. Jack remained rooted to the spot.

Beth gently lay her arms around his neck.

"You know, I got a king sized bed in there. Plenty of room for two of us."

A part of Jack most certainly wanted to take her up on that offer. The more logical part told him to stick to his morals, however much they were being tested.

That part won.

Jack kissed her softly on the forehead.

"You had quite the night. Go get some rest. I'll see you in the morning."

Beth withdrew her arms and let them fall to her side. She nodded once.

"Okay. Goodnight, Jack."

"Goodnight, Beth."

She turned around to walk to her room. Beth paused mid-stride. With a flash of purple, she whipped around and stepped forward to plant a kiss on Jack's lips.

Jack returned it, running his hands through her hair, still damp from her shower. Their lips broke, but they were still entwined, faces together. Jack took a deep breath of her lingering shampoo.

"I had a great time tonight," Beth whispered breathily.

"Me too."

"I want to see you again."

"I… I want to see you everyday," Jack admitted before he could even begin to stop himself from speaking too quickly.

She took a short breath.

"Do you?"

"We'll talk about it tomorrow, okay? When you're a little less drunk and more inclined to not say things you may want to take back."

Beth giggled.

"Your fault for getting me liquored up."

"Go to sleep."

Beth broke away from him. She walked backwards.

"Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Beth."

She smiled at him one last time before gently shutting the door.

Jack felt pleased with himself. He kicked off his shoes and settled down on the couch. Jack laced his hands together behind his head and waiting for sleep to overtake him.

* * *

He awoke with a shudder. Jack sat up, confirming he was still crashing on Beth's couch in her apartment. At some point during the night, he managed to cover himself with his jacket.

Jack willed himself to stand up and stretch. Dawn light poured through the windows over the couch. He checked his phone and saw a text from Paul, sent late during the night. Jack had not spared a glance at his phone almost the entire night.

_I hope you're getting laid rn lmao_

And a follow-up:

_But seriously, lemme know how your date with Brittney went_

And one more:

_Or beth. Whatever her name is_

Jack rolled his eyes and stuffed his phone back into his pocket. Paul could wait.

The door to Beth's bedroom opened. She stepped out. Her hair was wild, her face looking a combination of pained and confused.

"Good morning, gorgeous," Jack happily greeted.

Beth offered a weak smile.

"Good morning, handsome."

Jack whistled and shook his head.

"You sure put the 'hot' in 'hot mess.'"

She rubbed her forehead with her open palm.

"I knew a hangover would be in my future, but I didn't really stop myself."

"That's because you wanted to have a good time and you deserved it."

"Yeah… I guess I did."

Beth raised an arm weakly toward the kitchen.

"Hey, can you make me some coffee?"

"Sure."

As Jack prepared her coffee, Beth took a seat at the dining room table.

"You know what you need? Some eggs, bacon, and other disgusting fried foods you probably shouldn't be eating if you're looking for a healthy breakfast. There's a diner not too far from here. You game?"

Beth weakly gave a thumb's up.

"That sounds good. I'll be more enthusiastic once I get some coffee and water in me."

"I'll call Will to get me down to the bar so I can get my car. Then I'll go and take you. Sound good?"

"Yeah. Now please stop talking and make me some coffee."

"Yes, ma'am."


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Just a warning: this chapter is the single longest chapter I have ever written for a story. But, it's because it's a very important one.**

**Also, the rating has been upped to M for reasons that will be apparent both now and later.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

"Hey, uh, Will?"

"_Yeah, Jack, what's up? How was your date?_"

"Oh, it was good. Real good."

Across from where he was seated at her dining room table, Beth smiled as she took a sip of coffee and watched Jack talk to Will.

"_That's great!_"

"Yeah, man. Hey, can you pick me up?"

"_Sure. Where are you?_"

"Beth's apartment," Jack said after a sheepish pause.

He heard Will laughing on the other end of the line. Beth was looking up at him, taking a very satisfied sip of coffee.

"_Oh my God! I guess it was a success, huh?_"

"Yeah, yeah. Can you just pick me up or what?"

Will chuckled again.

"_Sure thing, little brother._"

* * *

What amazed Jack the most was that even though Will was now a well-paid expert scientist vital to whatever research Monarch was wrapped up in, he was driving a Honda Civic.

Yes, it was a new-model Civic with a maroon paint job that looked quite good. But it was still a Honda Civic. Jack made sure to voice this to Will.

"Wow. Nice car, Will," Jack said as he climbed into the passenger's seat.

"Thanks. I imagine I was driving around some beater in the old timeline?"

"You sure were."

Jack adjusted his seat and reclined.

"I gotta say, though… can't you drive a Mercedes-Benz or something? A BMW? A Lexus? Something? I mean, come on. I think you can afford to treat yourself."

Will chuckled and shook his head while keeping his eyes fixed on the road.

"I am a practical man, Jack."

"I think a bit too much for your own good."

"Hey- I just need to get from point A to point B. I don't need some fancy German sports car for that."

Jack looked out the window, grinning.

"Whatever you say, man."

At a stoplight, Will reached over and nudged Jack on the shoulder.

"Okay, tell me about Beth."

"Where do I start?"

Will smirked.

"Tell me about your date last night."

"It was real good. We had a great time."

"Considering I'm driving you from her apartment, I'd say it went _very_ well for you."

Jack chuckled and waved him off.

"No, no. Nothing like that. It's just… she's amazing. I felt like I've known her all my life."

"And you've known her for what? A couple of days?"

"Pretty much. But I know for certain she's not like anyone else I've ever met."

Will nodded thoughtfully as he made a right turn.

"Use your signal," Jack chided.

"Sorry. I have more important things on my mind."

"Sure you do."

"It's science and numbers. I don't expect you to understand. Anyway. I'm kinda surprised, Jack. Beth Wilder doesn't really seem like your type."

"Oh, I have a 'type?'" he asked, amused.

"Yeah. I figured your type was the 'ditzy club girl that's easily seduced by a few especially clever quips.'"

Jack was silent.

"Well, _maybe _for a time it was-"

"Uh-huh."

"But she's just something else. She's… amazing. I was just sitting there, listening to her talk and laugh, and I was just like 'damn. This is who I've been waiting for.' It was just so nice to see her happy and not having to worry about the Fracture."

"And you're responsible for that."

"Yeah, I guess I am."

"No, you should _know _you are."

"Alright, I'll take the credit. You know… back then, back before you and I used the Countermeasure and ended the Fracture, I saw her one last time at the university."

Will turned to him. His face was sympathetic.

"And by then, you already watched her-"

"Die. Yeah."

"I'm sorry, Jack."

"No, it's alright. I fixed it, right?"

"It is and I think you guys are doing pretty well. What did you say to her at the university?"

"A Stutter hit. You, her, everyone but me- you were all stuck in place. She was standing there watching Liam Burke toss the old me into the back of a Monarch van. She was probably going over her plan, getting ready to act. She didn't know what would happen to her over the next twenty-four hours. I wanted to release her from the Stutter. I just… I just wanted to. I didn't know what I would've done, but I just knew I wanted to see her one more time."

"You didn't release her, did you?"

"No. That was probably the hardest thing I've ever done."

"Why didn't you?"

"I think you know why, Will."

"Because I spent the entire time ranting and raving about how the past cannot be changed and everything you've done has led you up to that moment?"

Jack chuckled.

"That's pretty much why."

"And it seems I was wrong. And I'm glad I was."

"For once in your life," Jack continued, "but I just… I just went over to Beth. I leaned over and whispered in her ear 'I'll come back for you.' It was a promise."

"And you made that promise not knowing you could keep it."

"I never make promises I don't keep, Will."

"But at the time, you didn't know if you could. I know you, Jack. You fully intended to keep it."

"I did. I knew right then and there I didn't exactly know _how_, but I would come back for her."

"And you did," Will said quietly.

"I did."

"You never said this in your interview, did you?"

Jack shook his head.

"Nah. You're the first to hear about it."

Will nodded, a look of understanding washing over his face. In the past, Will was not always the most supportive person. But now, it seemed he was truly trying to be there for his brother. Jack was happy for it.

"Thank you for telling me," Will said, without a hint of jest.

Jack smiled. He was glad to be able to actually talk about this to someone who wasn't a lab-coated Monarch scientist staring him down like he was a bug under a microscope.

"Of course. You're my brother."

"You haven't told Beth any of this, have you?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Do you think it's something I _want_ to talk about with her?"

"Uh, no, probably not."

"I know she'll want to know, though."

"I know I would," Will said with a shrug.

"Yeah, I guess I would too. But, do you think I want to sit down and tell Beth, the most amazing, beautiful, talented, intelligent, badass woman I've ever met and say 'hey, guess what, back in the old universe you spent eleven years alone trapped in the past before I watched you get shot in the head by my best friend while I couldn't do anything about it?'"

"It's gonna come out one way or another."

"It probably will. I guess I'll just try to put it off. Not a conversation I want to have."

"I'd imagine."

Jack sighed and gazed out the window at the morning traffic and pedestrians.

"I've never met anyone like her."

"You've told me," Will replied with a smirk.

"Yeah, well, I'm reminding you how I feel."

"You know something, Jack?"

"What?"

"It sounds like… you're in love with this girl."

Jack exhaled and sat back in his chair. He looked out the window for a moment while Will looked at him expectantly.

"Yeah, I guess I am."

"Oh, boy," Will said ominously.

"What?"

"Love. Man. I'm not too up on that kind of thing."

"Neither am I. But I know what I feel."

"I'm not one to tell you how you should feel about things or how to define what you're feeling. If that's what you feel, hey, I'm happy for you. I really think you and Beth would work well together. You guys have a very… let's say, unique sort of relationship."

"Spoken like a true therapist."

"Thanks. My rate is one-hundred fifty per hour."

Will pulled into the parking lot of the Anvil, where Jack's car sat right where he had left it.

"Do you know what you'll say to Beth when she asks? Because you know she will."

"I know. And I don't want to overthink it. I figures if she wants to talk about it, I'll just go with what comes to mind."

"You'll figure it out."

"Right. Complete confidence in me."

"Of course, little brother."

Jack opened up the passenger's side door and stepped out.

"Thanks for the ride, Will."

"Of course! Say 'hi' to Beth for me."

"I don't even think she knows you. Well. This Beth at least."

"I feel like we'll be seeing a lot of each other soon enough."

* * *

"Jack, you were right."

Jack looked up from his waffles.

"About what?"

Beth was opening a packet of maple syrup to drizzle on the remainder of her pancakes, which were already overloaded with powdered sugar and syrup.

"I just needed something very unhealthy to perk me up. I feel much better already."

"Eating food that's bad for you just feels so, so right."

She stuck up her fork with a chunk of pancake hanging on the end.

"Cheers to that."

She chewed her food and peered out the window next to their booth. Jack paused what he was doing and just took a moment to… admire her. He felt like he just didn't do that nearly enough as she deserved.

Despite her complaints that she was hung over and looked "gross," (her words, not his) Beth was still the most beautiful woman Jack had ever met. She put her hair into a simple ponytail and tossed it behind her back. It was similar to how Beth had her hair in the previous timeline. Jack figured it must have been a go-to for her. It suited her. But Jack knew she was the kind of woman who could be beautiful no matter what, whether she was dolled up for a night out or in her combat uniform covered sweat and grime after dodging Monarch forces.

A natural, effortless beauty. That described Beth pretty well. To Jack at least. He didn't really care what anyone else said.

He was busy admiring her and thus was quick to notice the contemplative expression on her face.

"You okay?" Jack inquired.

"Yeah," she said with a nod, "I was just thinking."

"About what?"

"A dream I had last night."

He chuckled.

"I'm not sure if pondering your alcohol-fueled fever dreams will get you anywhere."

"Jack, I'm serious. There was something about this."

The smirk on his face faded.

"What do you mean?"

She sighed softly and looked out the window, as if to collect her thoughts.

"I was walking out of the corridor of a time machine. Yeah, I know how they work, by the way. And once I got out of the door, I heard shooting. I had a gun on me and I drew it. I ran out and found myself in a laboratory. Will's lab, the old one down by the docks. I saw Paul Serene. He was shouting at Will, telling him he was 'sorry' and that there was 'no other way.' I heard Will. He sounded hurt. He was calling to Paul, asking him why he was doing this, what he could do to fix it. But Paul kept coming. In my dream, I knew I had to shoot Paul. For some reason, I just _knew_ Paul had to die. I shot, but missed. He fired back and ran out of the lab. I found Will- he was hiding behind some drawers. Paul had winged him, but he was okay. I crouched down and helped him up. He was terrified and confused- his brother's best friend had just tried to kill him. For some reason, it was like I knew exactly what to say. Like I was ready for this moment. I told Will that I needed his help and I was from the future."

Jack stared at her. Beth stared back.

"And then?" he managed.

"I woke up."

He nodded.

"That's quite the dream, Beth. Mine usually involve threesomes with hot actresses."

Jack laughed, hoping to distract her from whatever it was that was on her mind. He knew that what she experienced was not a dream, but rather it was a memory of the previous timeline. A memory of what she had experienced after being sent to the End of Time and barely escaping with her life. Beth knew why she wanted to kill Paul and knew why she needed to talk to Will. She knew because she had experienced it already.

It seemed that Jack was unsuccessful. Beth gave him a frown and it certainly was not because of his crude comment.

"This didn't really feel like a dream. It felt like… I was remembering something. Or looking through the eyes of someone who did. Jack, did something like this happen to me back during the Fracture?"

He remained silent for far too long.

"I don't know. It could've been," Jack managed to say.

"What do you mean 'could've been?'"

"I wasn't following you around the whole time, Beth. You could've done your own thing."

She sat back and nodded once.

"You know, ever since you came back and restructured the universe or whatever it was, I've been feeling a lot of déjà vu. I think that's the best way to describe it. Like, I'll see something, hear something, even _smell _something and I just feel like a switch flips in my brain."

Beth twirled her fork around while looking down at the table. Jack shifted, his feelings conflicted. One part of him wanted to remember everything they had shared together, everything they had done. He wanted her to know what it was she did and what she sacrificed to create the world they inhabited now.

But, this would also mean that Beth would remember being lost in the End of Time, being trapped back in 1999, and the eleven lonely years that would follow. He didn't want her to relive that. He didn't even want her to know such a thing happened to her.

Why? Because he is in love with her, that was the simple answer. And if you love someone, the last thing you would want for them is to be hurt, feel scared, or face anything at all that would bring them down. Beth was tough-as-nails, the strongest person he knew. She was amazing, she was perfect, she was everything he could ever want from a woman and so much more. He didn't question whether or not she could handle it. She would be able to handle everything and anything the world threw at her.

But Jack knew he would do anything to protect her, even if she didn't need it.

"What is it that comes to you?" he asked.

She shrugged.

"Bits and pieces. They feel like old memories that I'm struggling to recall. Some are more clear than others, but they all feel real. Sometimes I see Paul or Will. Will's building the Countermeasure and he's having me help him. Sometimes, I'm chasing Paul through the streets of Riverport. Everything around is frozen in time. It's just me and him pushing our way through blocks and blocks of people just frozen in mid-step. For whatever reason, I know he's the reason this has happened and all I want to do is kill him."

She leaned over the table, locking eyes with Jack. He could not look away.

"Something happened to me back then, right? You said so."

"Yeah, I did."

She nodded.

"I think I'd like to know."

He licked his lips and broke her gaze, sighing. Beth continued to stare him down.

"Let's talk about it later," he managed. He was just stalling for time at this point. Not to mention he could already tell this would become pretty emotional and he wasn't ready to do that over pancakes and waffles in a public diner.

She nodded.

"Okay. Promise me."

He exhaled and tried to avert her gaze, but just could not. He kept his promises. Beth knew that.

"I promise, Beth."

"Okay."

He stared back down at his food, having lost his appetite a bit.

"Hey," Beth spoke, "you better finish those waffles otherwise they'll become mine."

Jack looked up. Beth was smiling at him. He could not help but smile back when his eyes met those icy blues of her's.

Happy she was lightening the mood, he resumed his breakfast.

"What do you wanna do later?" she asked before finishing up her coffee.

"Oh, you _still_ want to spend time with me?"

"Yes, in fact, I do. Not sure why- but I do."

He chuckled.

"Well, since you're so into me, I'm up for anything. Like usual-"

"You didn't plan this far ahead," she finished for him.

"Of course."

"Well, I have some errands to do," she said.

"I like errands. Errands with you, anyway."

She looked down, laughing softly. Her cheeks glowed a rosy red.

"Okay, errands we will do."

"Maybe we could go down to Crown Battery Park. Take a walk, see the… art and stuff down there."

"Next thing I know, you'll be asking me to go take a long walk on the beach at sunset."

Jack shrugged.

"It was on the agenda for the summer, actually. Provided you put up with me for that long."

"I have a good feeling about that, I'll have you know."

"Good! Me too."

"I never would have thought you were a 'walks on the beach' kind of guy."

"I continue to surprise."

She smirked and leaned her head on an open palm. Jack watched the early morning light brighten up her features

"I guess you are indeed the romantic type."

He smiled at her, now finding that it was his turn to blush. The look she gave him was one that he found could easily melt his heart. Jack hoped he would never get used to it.

* * *

Later that afternoon, Jack picked her up from her apartment. She had clearly recovered from her hangover and decided to go from her gorgeously lazy look that she put on for breakfast to something a bit more practical for her day out. That meant skinny black jeans, a hip-length green jacket, red blouse, and her go-to black combat boots. She had taken the time to put up her hair in a braid that was fancier than what he was used to seeing on her. A few locks of errant hair had fallen out of her scrunchy and framed her face just so.

Jack smiled as she got into the passenger's seat of his car. She turned to him and jerked her head toward the windshield.

"Okay, driver. Supermarket. Let's go."

Jack shook his head with a smirk on his face.

"Yes, ma'am."

Jack put his car into drive and pulled off down the street. Beth reclined in the seat next to him and sighed contently.

"You okay there?" he asked her.

"Yeah. I could get used to this."

He chuckled.

"I'm so glad you're planning our domestic life already."

"I like to think things ahead. Unlike you."

"Hmph," he grunted. Beth gave him a sly smile.

"How about some music?" she asked a minute later.

"Okay. My ride, my music," he said while reaching for the radio controls.

Beth blinked.

"That… that… sounds really familiar."

Jack had echoed the first of many snide comments Beth had made at him in the other timeline. They had been driving away from the now-ruined Riverport drydocks. Jack was staring at her, still totally unsure of what to make of this woman.

He broke his gaze and stared at the radio as Africa by Toto blared throughout the Monarch van she commandeered. Jack looked back up at her, his face with an expression that simply said _really?_

Beth had glanced at him and gave him the slightest of side-smiles.

_My ride, my music. Deal with it_.

Behind them in the storage area, a wide-eyed Amy looked back and forth between the two.

_Who the fuck are you people?_ She wondered aloud as Beth drove them away from Jack's latest mess.

"It should sound familiar," Jack in the present said, "you coined it after all."

Beth leaned back, mouth agape. She stared off into space and shook her head and let out a choked laugh.

"I remember, Jack. You, me. A girl… Amelia?"

"Amy."

"Yeah! Amy! Holy shit."

"We were-"

"In a Monarch van! Driving to the swimming pool!" Beth finished

"You remember? I think about that moment often."

She grinned.

"Why's that?"

"Well, it was the first time we actually sat down and decided to team up. The first time I decided to actually trust the one person not trying to kill me."

"And it was a good choice."

Beth massaged her temple with two fingers.

"Jack, it's like flipping a switch, I swear. You just say the right things, show me the right things-"

"You mentioned."

"Yeah, I'm reiterating it. Hey- you know what I want you to do?"

"What's that?"

"Later, at my place, let's sit down and just talk to me about what happened then. I want to remember all of it."

Jack subtly, but purposefully, forced his eyes forward and tried to suppress the worry on his face.

_I don't want you to remember all of it,_ he thought.

"I hope you get used to this," Jack said as he reached for the radio, hoping to distract her.

He turned on the radio and immediately the car's speakers began to thump with the sound of heavy alternative rock.

Beth cackled madly and reached over to change the station. Jack, trying his best to pay attention to the road, swatted away her hand.

"Hey! What are you doing?! I'm trying to drive here!" he laughed.

"I'm gonna put on some _real_ music!"

"It's _my_ _ride_, Bethany!"

She scoffed and slapped him on the shoulder.

"Did you seriously just call me my full name?"

"I did."

"Just for that…"

Beth fiddled with the radio while Jack pleaded with her not to.

"Beth, please, I like listening to music from this century."

She rolled her eyes at him.

"A little bit of the classics wouldn't kill you."

"The classics? Come on, now."

She settled on Riverport's resident 80s throwback channel- one that Jack consciously avoided. Beth smiled and cranked up the radio and as he rubbed the bridge of his nose with one hand.

"Please stop."

Beth's smile grew wider as she watched him suffer.

"Come on, Jack, you know this song, don't you?"

"Of course I do."

"Come sing with me."

"No…"

"Yes! Come on Jack!"

"Beth, I'm begging you, don't do this to me-"

"_Don't stop believin'!_" she half sang, half screamed at him.

Jack shook his head while laughing silently.

"_Hold onto that feelinggggggggg!_"

"You're five seconds away from walking to the store. I'm warning you."

"I'll kick your ass before you can kick me out."

Jack settled back, resigned to his fate in Beth's 80s pop music hell.

"You better get used to this," she warned him.

"I figured this would be a pretty key part of dating you," Jack said.

He felt his stomach twist into a knot.

_Dating you_. Would Beth actually go for that?

H glanced and briefly observed Beth as she bobbed her head to the music and looked out her window.

_Come on, she's in your car going to the supermarket. That's a thing that couples do._

"Yep. All of my non-existent boyfriends had to survive my unhealthy relationship with old people music."

Jack remained silent and nodded to buy himself some thinking time.

"I could imagine," was his simple reply.

He so badly wanted to just turn and ask if he was her _boyfriend_. Maybe it was too early to be asking that. Maybe.

He wasn't too good at this kind of thing.

"Hey!" Beth gasped, sitting up in her seat, "you missed the turn!"

"Huh?"

"Over there. That's the turn lane," Beth said, pointing at a part of the street that was rapidly receding behind them.

"Oh. Sorry. I was distracted."

"Oh yeah?" she said, amused, "what could possibly be distracting your very active mind?"

"I was just thinking about how gorgeous you are."

Beth smirked and flicked his nose with her index finger.

"Nice save."

* * *

The supermarket was crowded. Families and couples milled about, grabbing whatever it was they needed for the next week. Jack was there, doing the very same, and he was glad for it. He pushed their cart while Beth picked out what she needed.

Supermarket runs were typically one of the most banal activities one could partake in. But he was sharing a moment with Beth, one that was just so simple and everyday, but was still great, because he got to do it with her.

They had paused in the household products aisle. Beth held two different rolls of paper towels in her hands and seemed to deliberating which one to choose quite heavily.

"What do you think, Jack? Store brand? Or name brand?"

He shrugged.

"Does it matter?"

"Yeah! Name brand is a dollar more."

"Okay, just get the store brand then if you're _so_ into saving one dollar."

"Listen- some of us actually have to work for a living and haven't been deemed so special as to get a house paid for them by Monarch."

"Hey, doesn't Monarch give you a stipend too? Since you've been designated one of their 'special agents?'"

"Well, yeah, but I like to maintain a budget. I'm not like you who likes to live it up."

"No! I'm easy to please!"

"Is that so?"

"Yes. I just need some good beer and a beautiful woman in my life."

Beth smirked as she tossed both paper towels into her cart. She stepped up and gave him a quick kiss on the lips.

"If you want, you can have both of those things at my place later."

"Is the beautiful woman you?"

"Oh, no," she said sarcastically, "it's my friend. Barb."

"Such a shame," Jack sighed, "I was hoping for Beth."

Beth responded with another kiss, a longer one this time.

"Damn, Beth," Jack said with surprise, "you gotta calm down. We're in a supermarket."

"Can't help myself. You're pretty good to me. Keep being good and I'll cook for you later."

"Oh, really?"

"Really."

"I'll help you."

"Can you cook?'

Jack shook his head.

"Well, if I follow the instructions on the box…"

"You're gonna watch then."

"That sounds fair."

He pushed away the cart as Beth followed by his side.

"I noticed you got both," Jack said, gesturing to the paper towels.

She shrugged.

"I'm living it up."

* * *

Later that day, they returned to her apartment and dropped off her groceries. After lunch, Beth readily accepted Jack's offer of a walk down Crown Battery Park. First built in 1912 as a fortress and coastal defense battery, the park was renovated by a Monarch-funded initiative in the early 2000s. Now, it was a spacious park right on the Atlantic Ocean, where the rusted remains of coastal artillery pieces and stark gray concrete mingled with greenery, flowers, and art pieces created by students at Riverport University.

Jack and Beth walked hand-in-hand along what had once been a redoubt for the original fortress. Several other couples were there, enjoying the cool Fall temperatures. They blended in well.

"I've never been down here," Beth mused to him.

"No?"

"Nope. Never had much of a reason to."

"Well. Now you do."

"Oh, I'm so glad you're just such a romantic."

"I am. I try to keep it on the down-low, though. I gotta keep up my badass appearances."

She snorted.

"Right. Whatever you say."

"You're the first one to see this side of me, I'll have you know."

"Oh yeah?"

He felt Beth rubbing the back of his hand with her thumb.

"I'm honored," she said quietly.

He looked at her. She was looking at him, eyes bright.

"Really?"

"I mean that, Jack. I'm glad you're here with me."

He smiled.

"I'm glad I'm here, too. I'm glad we can finally share things like… this," he said while indicating to the entire park.

"Are you secretly really cheesy, too?" she asked with a smirk.

"I might be."

A few minutes later, they settled at a section of railing that overlooked the ocean. They silently leaned on the weathered iron rails and watched waves break over the rocks below.

"Hey," Beth got his attention.

Jack looked over at her.

"Yeah?"

"You got something on your mind?" she asked.

He screwed his face and shrugged.

"No…"

Beth scoffed at him.

"Look, I think I'm starting to recognize the 'Jack Joyce Has Something Weighing Very Heavily On His Mind' face."

He threw up his arms. She wasn't exactly wrong.

"You caught me."

Beth turned to face him, resting one arm on the railing and leaning on it.

"Talk to me."

Jack looked down and sighed.

"I don't-"

"Jack, we can't make this work if you don't wanna talk about things. Is it about me?"

"Yeah."

"So…"

She waved her hand as to encourage him to speak.

"Okay," Jack said, "fine. You're right."

"I usually am."

He gazed at his shoes. Jack could feel Beth's eyes burning a hole right through him.

"I'm not very good at this whole 'sharing feelings' stuff."

"Well, neither am I. Whatever you say, it can't be worse than me."

She reached over and placed a hand on his arm. Beth gave it a light squeeze.

"And besides. You have a way with words. In your own way."

He nodded once, bolstered by her compliment.

"Okay, Beth. Here it comes. Would you like to be in a relationship with me?"

The last part he managed to release with a tone that made it sound like a doctor informing a patient they would be performing an appendectomy.

Beth chuckled once and shook her head. Jack felt like he was going to faint.

"Wow. 'Would you like to be in a relationship with me?' I feel like I'm filling out tax forms or something."

"Sorry, I just, had-"

Beth silenced him by grabbing his cheeks and bringing his lips to hers. Jack stared back at first and decided to return it, which Beth obviously appreciated.

She gave his lips a nibble as she released him.

"There. Does _that_ answer your question?" she asked.

"Uh, yeah, I think that works."

Beth took a step closer to him and grabbed his hand.

"Jack… look. I'm not too great at this relationship stuff either. I've never had a… 'real' boyfriend, I guess. Never really has the time for it- or wanted one. I had a mission, after all."

"But now your mission is done."

"Yeah. Yeah, it is. And you're a lot different than all the other guys I've known."

"I hope in a good way…"

She rolled her eyes.

"My relationship history is marked by mediocre men that I spent way too much time on. You're far and away above them all, Jack. I've never met anyone like you, and I mean that."

It was Jack's turn.

"You… Beth, you're the most amazing woman I've ever met. There's just no one else like you! These last few days have been the happiest I've ever been because I got to share it with you. Hell, going to the _grocery store_ with you was exciting because I got to be with you."

He smiled and shook his head.

"You're just- you're amazing."

Beth's fair skin glowed a rosy red at his words. The grin on her face refused to leave.

She finally looked up at him, her eyes bright.

"You wanna know something?"

"Of course," Jack replied.

"Back then… back when you came back for me at the University. When you called my name and I just turned around and saw you there. That was supposed to be the first time we actually met face-to-face, right? I shouldn't have known anything about you other that what I wrote in my notebook."

She shifted, turning over his hand as it rested in her own.

"But," Beth continued, "when I looked you in the eyes, I just felt like someone had opened the floodgates. I had all these feelings come rushing into my brain, feelings that feel like ones I've had my whole life. I knew right then and there I needed to kiss you."

"So you did."

"So I did," she said with a proud smile.

"I guess looking at me just reminded you."

"It did. Of whatever it was we did the first time around. It left an impact on me."

Beth lightly slapped his cheek.

"So, to answer your question, I want to be your girlfriend. I want this thing to work."

"And there's nothing more I would want to than to be your boyfriend. But, I gotta warn you. I'm not too used to this sort of thing. You'll have to let me know how I'm doing."

"Only if you do the same for me."

"Sounds like a good deal."

The couple simultaneously got the idea to kiss their partner and met in the middle.

When they finished, both of their hands were in each other's. Beth smiled against Jack's lips.

"Can I call you 'babe' now?" he asked her.

"You can call me whatever you'd like."

"I'd prefer 'babe.'"

"Yeah, I think so too. Can I call you that, too?"

"Of course. Any and all variations or synonyms are welcomed, too."

They were interrupted by the sound of a woman shouting somewhere behind them. Both Jack and Beth whipped around and saw a woman covering her mouth with both hands as tears streamed down her face. Before her was a man on one knee, holding up a ring.

"Yes!" the woman shouted, loud enough for everyone around her to hear, "yes, yes, yes!"

Onlookers cheered and clapped as the newly-engaged couple hugged each other tightly.

Jack and Beth joined in.

"Well, isn't that just so appropriate?" Beth commented.

Jack was clapping absentmindedly when a thought flashed through his mind. It was one of Beth in a flowing white dress, her auburn hair done up in an elegant braid. She stood before him, gently taking his hands into her own.

The Beth in his mind gazed up at him, the light of wherever it was they were in his head reflected in her turquoise eyes.

_I do_, she said to him.

"Hey," Beth spoke up, tapping him on the shoulder, "this is getting a bit too overboard for me."

The couple that just got engaged had apparently bought an entire camera crew for this moment and were giving a tearful interview.

"They're probably putting this up on YouTube," Jack said.

"I don't wanna be on the internet," Beth mumbled.

She turned to walk away from the crowded scene. Looking at Jack, she held out a hand for him to take.

"Shall we, Mister Joyce?"

He happily took it. It felt like his hand just belonged there and that her hand belonged in his.

"Can we go back to your place and make some dinner?" he asked her.

"Do you actually mean you want _me _to make dinner?"

"Well, you _did_ offer…"

"My boyfriend is so demanding," she sighed.

"Hey, if you don't want, we can-"

She pushed him away and laughed.

"Jesus, man. I'm kidding!"

"Oh, good. I was worried there. I'm just so glad you're offering to cook for me. I'll be sure to hover over your shoulder and watch the whole time."

"This is gonna be a fun one," Beth mumbled.

* * *

"Jack, I'm serious, go sit down!"

"No, I can help. I promise!"

"What have you cooked in the past? Pop-Tarts?"

True to his word, Jack was hovering around Beth in the kitchen while she cooked. Sizzling in a pan were pieces of chicken breast that she was going to cover is a creamy lemon sauce. She moved back and forth between her active pots and pans, not sparing Jack a single glance.

She was in the zone. Jack knew he wouldn't be able to break her concentration.

"I've cooked!" he whined.

"Yeah, well, this is my kitchen and I demand you go _sit down_."

"Let me do something."

Beth sighed as she flipped over the chicken.

"You wanna be useful? Go set the table. And pour me another glass of wine."

"Yes, ma'am."

Jack grabbed some plates and set the table, even taking the time to correct a crooked fork. For Beth, he would spare no detail. He grabbed the open bottle of red wine she had left on the dining room table and poured two glasses, one for him and one for her.

He came back to the kitchen and placed a glass on the counter next to her. Beth turned and gave him a quick kiss for his troubles.

"Thank you," she said with a sweet smile.

"Of course, babe."

She smiled to herself at the pet name.

Jack decided to heed her instructions and took a seat on the couch.

"Want some music?" he asked her.

"Sure thing."

"Will you allow me to play some music I actually enjoy?"

"If you must!"

Jack had bought a wireless speaker from home and set it up to play his go-to alt-rock playlist, Beth was soon bobbing her head and moving along with the music.

"I actually don't hate this," she reported.

"Good. Get used to it."

"Only if you're getting used to my twenty-four-seven Toto Throwback playlist."

"I'll never get used to that."

* * *

Jack quickly discovered that cooking was one of Beth's many talents. It made sense. After all, she lived alone most of her life and had to adapt to doing things for herself. She became well-versed at cooking to make sure her meals were not boring. It was the least she could do.

The dishes and pots were put away and they both found themselves sitting on the couch, very satisfied with their meal. Beth had moved onto dessert, a bar of minty chocolate. Jack had decided on one more glass of wine to finish off the meal.

They were sitting in a comfortable silence for the past few minutes, each content to let their food digest a bit before anything else.

"So, Jack," Beth began as she broke off a piece of chocolate and popped it into her mouth.

"Yeah?"

"I'd like to know now."

He blinked at her.

"Know what?"

"Know what happened back then."

"What, in the other timeline?"

"Yeah. I was serious when I told you I literally just wanna sit down and listen to you tell me about everything that happened back there."

"But you already heard, didn't you?"

She shrugged.

Not the full story. And not from you. I think you, someone who was at the center of it all, will have a bit more to tell me than some lady from Monarch."

Jack had been dreading this moment. Ever since Beth bought it up back in the car, he was trying to figure out a way to prevent her from learning everything about what had happened to her. Keeping such things from her pained him, but he did not want her living with the knowledge of what she had to do, what she had to suffer through, to make things right.

She no longer had to go through that. Getting stranded in the past, writing the notebook for her younger self, waiting all those years for him. Beth was free to pursue a better life. She didn't need to know.

"Okay, fine then."

Jack put down his glass of wine. They would talk. He would satisfy her questions. Maybe she wouldn't want to know everything.

Beth happily turned to him and adjusted herself, giving Jack her undivided attention.

"Okay," she began, "tell me about your favorite memories of… us."

"Hm, well, we didn't exactly have too much time for sweet, romantic, cutesy Hallmark moments. But, we did have some moments. Moments that told me we work pretty well together."

Beth grinned and traced a finger down his arm.

"We do have some great chemistry, you know."

"Okay, so, in order to get close to Sofia Amaral so we could kidnap her…"

Beth smiled and shook her head.

"Oh, God…" she laughed.

"I had to let myself get captured by Monarch."

"I remember that part. And then I got you out of there, didn't I?"

"Of course you did. But, they locked me up in this cell and you were able to get me. And I saw you walked in and I said something that I thought would help the narrative if they were recording what was going on in there."

She smirked in anticipation.

"Oh yeah?" Beth said.

"You walked in and I just gave my best look."

"Your 'look?'" she asked with a laugh.

"Yeah! You know, the look."

He tried to mimic it for her, causing her to burst out in laughter and flop backwards on the couch.

"Oh, _God_."

"Anyway," Jack continued, "you walked in and I said 'I was starting to think seeing a pretty lady like you was too much to hope for.'"

"You didn't."

"I totally did. And your eyes looked like they were about to roll back into your skull."

Beth beamed as she almost absentmindedly touched her forehead with two fingers.

"I remember that!" she exclaimed.

"At the time, I thought I was just saying because it was appropriate for the situation I found myself in. But, I think I also kinda meant it, too."

"Aren't you just so sweet?"

"I am."

"Okay, tell me more!"

"Alright. So, we were walking out of my cell and you were going to let me into the facility so I could get to the party and find Amaral."

"Right, yeah, I'm starting to remember that too."

"And I asked if you were just gonna sit back and let me infiltrate their high-security lab. To which you said…"

"I'll save you a cocktail weenie," Beth finished for him, "and very sarcastically, I'd imagine."

"Yes!"

"I'm getting good at this," Beth said with a small smile.

"Later that night, you said something that probably was just a joke at the time but…"

"Oh, really?" she asked, curious.

"Yeah. I was making my way out of the parking garage in the Monarch labs and radioed to let you know I was coming. You just happened to respond with 'wanna be my date?' I had to stop for a moment and wonder if that was your attempt at flirting."

The smile she returned was definitely flirtatious.

"It might have been."

"Later, I found you during a Stutter down at the gala. I found a Chronon harness for you."

"Oh! Yeah! I remember that thing. Helped me stay moving during a Stutter, right?"

"Yep. You were down at the gala and I unfroze you. I gave you the harness and… you smiled at me!"

She chuckled.

"Yeah, so?"

"It was the first time you smiled at me. I took a good, long moment just to appreciate how beautiful it was."

Beth gazed downward, blushing once more.

"You're actually really sweet, Jack. You know that?"

"I try."

"So, we snatched Amaral. We fixed the time machine at the pool hall. I know that much. But, Monarch didn't really elaborate on what happened after that."

"Oh, uh, really?" Jack said, realizing he had gone too far and reached the part he was trying so hard to avoid.

"Yeah. Like I just kinda… disappear from the story, you know? I feel like they're trying to keep something from me."

"I-"

Beth tapped her chin thoughtfully.

"I know that we were going to go back to steal the Countermeasure before Monarch could. All the way back in 2010. I know something went wrong and Amaral sent me to the End of Time."

Jack was silent. He stared, blinked, unable to buy time.

"Right?" Beth added.

"Y-yeah."

She shrugged and sat back.

"I figured I found my way back somehow. I'm capable of doing that."

Jack exhaled sharply and shook his head. There was no way out of this.

Beth's expression dropped into one of concern.

"Jack?" she asked.

"I-"

"Jack, what's wrong?"

He closed his eyes tightly. It felt like tears would be coming any moment now. He would try not to let it come to that.

Jack opened his eyes and turned to her.

"I can't."

She shook her head, confused.

"You can't what?"

"I… I can't tell you."

"Tell me what?!"

"I can't tell you what happened, Beth! I _can't_!" he finally snapped.

She drew back, her expression now hurt.

"Jack, why? What are you talking about?"

"Yes, you got away from the End of Time, but that was just the start of it."

Beth put up a hand to stop him.

"Okay, you can't just say that and not tell me just what the fuck happened. Tell me."

"I can't."

She scoffed.

"Can't? Why can't you? Is it some big secret? Monarch has you keeping their secrets from me? Huh?"

"No, no, it's… I can't."

"Can't or won't, Jack?" she said, anger edging into her tone.

"Look, Beth, I could lie to you. But I won't, because I will never, _ever_, lie to you."

"Oh, so it's just soooooooo much better to just keep it from me, right?" Beth growled at him.

"It's not that simple-"

"I think it is! What? You don't think I can handle whatever it is you're not telling me? Is _that_ it, Jack?"

"Yeah, well, maybe that is it!" he snapped back at her, his tone becoming belligerent as well.

"I don't believe this shit. I'm not some little girl. I can handle myself and you don't get to tell me whether or not I can."

"I know you can handle it, I just think you're better off not knowing!"

"You don't get to decide something like that for me. Whatever it is, it happened to me, not you. Me! I think I have a right to know about things that affect me!"

Jack was breathing heavily, angry at her for putting him in this position, angrier at himself for keeping the truth from her. He was angry that he could not bring himself to talk about it. Part of him told him that the true story had to come out eventually. But he didn't want it to be _now_.

Beth scoffed and stood up from the couch.

"I don't have much hope for the future of this relationship if you just want to pick and choose what you want to inform me about."

Jack looked up. Beth was already going to leave him. Not even twenty-four hours into this relationship and he had already managed to fuck it up.

She was right. She was absolutely right. This was about _her_. Not him. He would want to know if he was in this position. Who was he to decide?

Jack took a deep breath. This was not going to be easy. This was not what he wanted. But if he wanted to be with Beth, which he wanted more than anything in the world, then they would have to talk about the things that bothered them. Not let it drive them apart. Not keep secrets.

"I watched you die!" he blurted out, faster than he could begin to regret letting it out.

Beth stopped. She looked back at him. The anger on her face started to fade. Confusion, concern became visible. She slowly took a seat back down on the couch.

"What?" she asked quietly.

Jack licked his lips and shook his head.

"I watched you die," he repeated.

"You- I, what?"

"Amaral," he began quietly, "at the last minute, as you got into the time machine in the pool to go back to 2010, she sent you to the future. To the End of Time."

"But, I got back, didn't I? We got the Countermeasure. You couldn't have done that without me."

"No, Beth, I couldn't have."

She threw up her hands.

"Okay, so why are you saying I… died?"

"You got back eventually. Yeah. Paul was there with you, at the End of Time. He was sent there too, after entering the time machine at the university when I came to visit. You tried to kill him, many times, to try and stop the events of as they came to pass. All the while being hunted by Shifters and having to exist as the only person you could trust."

Beth looked at him, silent. Her eyes were wide, searching his for a hint of… anything. She could only find sorrow reflected back at her.

"You came back to 1999. You followed Paul through a time machine. There was no way for you to get back to 2016 where I was."

"What did I do then?" she asked.

Jack fell silent, knowing he had said too much already.

"Tell me," she whispered. She did not sound angry. It was like she was almost pleading with him.

"You waited. Eleven years. From 1999 to 2010 when I came through the time machine like we planned. It was just _minutes_ for me. But for you? Eleven years, Beth. Eleven goddamn years!"

Beth buried her face into her palms. She shook her head slightly and exhaled slowly.

"I remember," was all she could say.

"You helped Will build the Countermeasure. You're the reason we were able to stop it. And you also wrote the Notebook shortly after you went back. You met your younger self and gave it to her to ensure this would be the path that would be taken."

She looked up at him. Beth's expression was something resembling neutral, but Jack could tell that she was remembering everything. Everything he hoped she would never have to face, never have to experience again was being relived all at once.

"The End of Time was hell on Earth. You came back from it very different. When I found you in 2010, seeing you after years of being alone, hunted by Monarch, it- it fucking _broke_ something in me, Beth. I knew that I never wanted you to go through that again. I never wanted you to even have to remember it, any of it."

He looked away from her and took a deep breath. His heart was racing, his mouth dry. Every fiber of his being told him to shut up. But he could not stop now.

"We got the Countermeasure. It was in Will's workshop, just like we thought it would be. But, but we did not realize was that Paul came back for it first. He took it from you. It was activated and I was sent back to 2016- but I could still see you and Paul in 2010. It was like watching an old VHS tape. You were in another time, I was back in the present. Paul shot you. You were hurt, lying on the ground. I was sitting there, begging you to get your gun and shoot back. But Paul- he shot you dead. One shot, right in the head. I watched the man who was my best friend kill the most amazing woman I've ever met. I watched you die, Beth, and I couldn't do a _fucking thing _about it!"

He could feel her looking at him. Jack's grief-stricken recollection hung in the air between them for several brutally long minutes. Jack could not bring himself to speak. He just wanted this to be over. He absolutely hated himself for telling Beth. He would much rather have her leave him right then and there.

"Is that why you didn't want to tell me this?" she asked quietly.

Jack forced himself to look at her. Beth was already looking at him, calm now, but waiting in anticipation for him to finish. Jack had an idea of what he wanted to say. But he didn't know if it was the right moment for it. It was too soon, not what she needed to deal with. Not on top of all this. No, he would wait for the right time, the right moment, the right-

"I didn't because I love you, Beth," Jack spoke, letting the words flow out regardless of what his brain told him.

_When would the right moment be?_

_I'm not keeping anything from her anymore. I love her. I know I do. I'm gonna let her know before I don't have a chance to. _

"I'm in love with you," Jack continued, "I've loved you probably from the moment I first saw you and I just didn't realize it until later. I wanted to keep these things from you because the last thing I want to see you scared, or sad, or just unable to come to terms with everything you did and everything you suffered through for a world that will never know. And I just- I just don't want you to be anything, _anything_, but happy. I would do anything to make sure that happens. But, I'm sorry. I'm sorry I kept it from you- I just, I thought it was the right thing. But you have a right to know, of course you do! You did it! You lived it! I didn't have any right to keep that from you, but I just-"

Jack was losing it now. He could feel a tear rolling down his cheek. Any second now and his eyes would be overflowing. The rest of his story was starting to disappear in a disjointed collection of apologies.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I- I'm sorry. I never want to keep anything from you again. It's just that I'm so in love with you and I would do anything for you, do anything to keep you from experiencing anything like that ever again."

Beth remained silent. Jack was scared. He never let his emotions overflow like this, like he was some child. And never, ever before a woman. Never before someone like Beth. But, at the same time, he was at peace. Beth knew the whole story now. She could kick him out, call him a pussy, call him whatever she wanted, but he would be okay.

She knew the truth. About everything, not just the old timeline, but about how he really felt. And there was rarely a time he did that for anyone.

Still silent, Beth reached over. She placed a hand on his cheek and brushed away the tear with her thumb.

"Thank you," she said softly.

"What?"

"Thank you," she repeated, "I mean that."

"For- for what?"

"For telling me everything. I'm sorry I got mad- I didn't mean to. I just needed to know and you told me. Jack, that's probably the bravest thing anyone has ever done for me."

She gently put both her hands upon his cheeks and drew closer to him. She ran a hand through his hair.

"I remember everything now. I must say, I do prefer this outcome a lot more."

They both laughed, breaking the tension that threatened to stop Jack's heart.

"Yeah, I think I do, too," he said.

"And Jack- thank you for telling me, you know, how you really feel. About me."

He swallowed hard, unsure how to respond.

"Oh, uh, yeah…"

"I'm very happy you said that."

"Why?"

Beth drew him in for a kiss. It was a kiss that was soft, gentle, and said the words for her.

"Because I love you too," she whispered.

Jack's heart leapt. Those words meant everything to him.

He wiped away the last vestiges of tears. Unable to contain the already flowing emotions, Jack gave up and collapsed into her. He set his head on her shoulder and she pulled him in. Beth slowly ran a hand through his hair. Jack laughed into her shoulder.

"We've known each other for like a week," he mumbled.

They both laughed. An outside observer would note than this entire situation seemed absurd. How could he love a woman that spent much of her life, for lack of a better term, stalking him and one he met so recently?

Beth answered for him.

"Yeah, well, I'd say our relationship is a bit… different."

"You got that right. I feel like I've known you forever."

"Could almost say we were meant to be," she whispered.

For several minutes, the two decided that their words were done. Just holding each other and enjoying the company of the other was perfect. What more needed to be said.

They reluctantly let go of each other simultaneously. Beth grabbed one of his hands.

"You good?" she asked.

"Yeah. I'll be good. You?"

"Much better now."

He leaned in and gave a brief kiss.

"Good talk," he whispered to her when he let her go.

"Great talk," she softly replied.

They both settled back onto the couch. Jack put his feet up on her coffee table.

"Now what?" he asked.

She turned to him.

"You know what I think you need after all those emotions and stuff?"

Jack rolled his eyes and smirked.

"I'm very, very afraid to ask."

Beth scooped up the remote for her TV.

"You need some good ol' fashioned cheesy nineties television."

He leaned his head back and groaned.

"Oh, God, help me…"

"Do you want _Friends _or do you want _Buffy the Vampire Slayer_?"

"Can you just shoot me instead?"

"Nope, you're not taking the easy way out for this one."

"Ugh. Alright, uh, fine. Gimme _Buffy_."

"Oh, Jack Joyce, a secret _Buffy_ fan?" Beth teased.

"Hardly. I just had a crush on Sarah Michelle Gellar when I was in middle school."

She gave him a side-eyed look as she bought up Hulu.

"Let's relive those middle school days, Jack."

"I can't wait," he mumbled.

* * *

Three episodes in and Jack gave up.

He had a pillow pulled to his chest. Jack dramatically tossed it across the room.

"I give up," he declared to Beth. He began to stand up, but Beth giggled and grabbed his hand before pausing the show.

"No! You ain't done yet!"

"No, Beth, I give up. I'm not even sure why I agreed to this. I hate vampires!"

"You just wanted to see your true love Sarah on screen."

"Shut up! Give me the remote and let me put something good on!"

Beth laughed as Jack reached over to commandeer the remote. She grabbed it and kept it away from him.

"Oh, no! You're stuck with _Buffy_!"

"Give me!" Jack commanded as he grabbed her hands and tried to wrestle the remote from her grip.

"No!"

"Give me! Come on!"

"Gotta try harder than that, Joyce!"

They both found each other drawn ever so closer as they battled for dominance of the television. Jack wrapped both his hands around hers and tried to pry the remote from her grip, but she just would not let go. So, he was forced to move in closer, and closer.

Then, their faces met, just a few inches apart. Both Jack and Beth stopped thrashing, completely forgetting just why they had been tangled up the past few minutes. Jack's eyes locked with her own. Neither of them broke the standoff. They remained this way for a few seconds that ticked by so very slowly.

Jack wanted to say something, a dumb quip. But there was nothing he could think of. All that he could think about was the hot feeling climbing up his chest, all the way to his collar and the electric feeling of the air between them. He was close enough to hear her breath slowing, becoming heavier.

He wanted to say something stupid to relieve the pounding of his heart. And he was about to.

Beth launched into him, practically pouncing on him. She dropped the remote, completely forgetting about it and her TV shows.

Quicker than he could even process, she was kissing him like he was the last man on Earth. Her hands ran through his hair, over his cheeks. The feeling of her soft hands running through the stubble on his cheeks to reach the back on his head gave him goosebumps. Of course, Jack eagerly returned her enthusiasm.

His hands quickly went through the locks of her silky auburn hair, pushing it out of her face and behind her ears. Jack's fingers roamed her cheeks, her neck, her collarbones- he just wanted to touch every inch of her from head to toe. She tasted like peppermint and chocolate.

Her fingers left lingering heat on his face. The feeling of her nails on his scalp sent a shiver down his spine. They had kissed before. Plenty of times now. But this, this was different. It was like she was hungry and would not give up until she got what she came for.

A soft moan escaped from Beth's lips, causing Jack to increase the intensity at which he returned her affections, if that was indeed possible. Beth took the lead, pressing her body to his and pushing him down onto his back. Jack readily complied with her wishes.

Beth briefly withdrew her lips to toss her hair back over her shoulders and to adjust herself so she was fully atop him. She leaned in, laughing softly, before going in for another round. Jack took this opportunity to play with her ears and give her hair more attention. Eventually, one of his hands went lower, lower than he had ever put a hand on her, down to her hips, tracing the curve of her body. He started to slowly infiltrate past the hem of her shirt.

Jack pulled his lips away, if only just a few inches for the briefest of moments.

"Can I?" he asked.

"Yes," came her husky reply.

His hands went under her shirt, lifting it up slightly as he touched her stomach, her core, her back, every part he could reach in a quest to explore every inch of her he could. Her flesh was hard, she was lean, toned, and fit as hell. Just as Jack imagined Beth looking. And feeling. He wanted to feel every inch of her, wanted his hands to touch _everything_, but he only had two hands, and there was just so much of her body he needed to experience.

Jack was not the only one who wanted this, it seemed. Beth leaned into him, moving her lips down to his neck and even giving him a small bite, which earned her a low groan from him. Jack was not expecting this side of her. But he certainly welcomed it.

She sat him up and jerked his shirt upward. Jack did not need her to say what she wanted. He helped her take off his shirt and toss it aside. Next, it was her turn. Beth held her arms over her head, laughing softly as Jack quickly peeled away her shirt, and once it was off, leapt back onto him.

Their making out continued until both of them broke away at the same time, but they still remained very close. Close enough to hear each other's shallow breath. One of Jack's hands was working its way through her hair while the other had found its way to her butt. Beth's arms were wrapped around him and she gently stroked his hair as their eyes locked.

"We should take this to the king sized," she whispered to him.

"Are you sure?" Jack asked.

Beth nodded and gave him a soft, quick kiss.

"Never been so sure of something in my whole life."

Beth got off the couch, clutching Jack's hand and pulling him up as well. He followed her into her bedroom and shut the door behind them.

On the TV, _Buffy_ was still on and it would take quite a while until someone came to turn it off.

* * *

He had imagined things like what just unfolded for the past month. Ever since fixing the Fracture. Jack never admitted it, but it was something he… fantasized about. Rolling over in bed and seeing Beth Wilder asleep by his side. But, that was all it was. A fantasy.

Now, Jack rolled over to look at Beth next to him. She was asleep, peaceful as could be. Beth was lying on her stomach, head buried in a pillow. Her hair, much like his, was tousled and frayed by the wild movements of hands that ran through, grabbed, pulled, and looked for purchase.

He got up from his spot, moving slowly and quietly as not to disturb her. Jack tiptoed to the adjacent bathroom, used it, and washed his face. As he quietly stepped back over to the bed, Beth sat up.

"Oh, hello there," she sleepily called to him.

Jack smiled at her and shrugged.

"Didn't feel a need to put on pants yet," he explained.

"Believe me- that's perfectly fine. I'm enjoying the view. I'm not putting pants back on either… so…"

Beth looked around at her clothes strewn about the room.

"Or a bra. Or socks, even."

"That's okay too."

"I'm glad we're in agreement then," Beth said with a smirk.

She held out a hand and beckoned him forward.

"Come back here. I wanna tell you about something."

Jack hopped back into the bed. Beth scooted closer to him and snuggled against his frame. She rested her head on his chest while Jack gently ran a hand through her hair.

"I remembered something," she told him.

Jack chuckled.

"We didn't do this back in the old timeline. A bit busy for that."

"No, not like that," Beth giggled, "something that happened before all this. Years ago."

"Oh really?"

"Yeah. We… we actually met once. A while ago. Even before the university."

"We did?"

"Yeah. Do you remember taking the Three bus home some nights? Around… 2004, I think?"

Jack thought about it. He probed his memories for some sort of incident on the night bus back home. He would have remembered Beth.

"I- I did take that bus, yeah. Did you do too?"

"I did. For a while. And… I took the same bus you did a lot of times. I knew who you were, of course, because of the Notebook. I kept an eye on you. Made sure you didn't end up dying before the Fracture."

"Appreciate you keeping a close eye out. Did you-"

"Talk to you? I did. Once. Older Me said that I should avoid that. But I couldn't. Something about you just couldn't keep me away."

He smirked.

"Obviously."

"We talked just once. Then you never came back on the bus."

"I- I don't think I remember that."

"Really?"

"Yeah… sorry."

"No, it's fine. A lot of stuff happened since then. To say the least."

"Can you remind me?" he asked.

"Of course. You got onto the bus around ten at night. I was the only other one there. There was a bruise on your cheek, probably from getting into another fight. I came over and said my name was Courtney."

Jack shot up, mouth falling open.

"Whoa, wait! Yeah! Oh my God, that _was_ you!"

She smiled.

"It was. I couldn't say my real name, after all, right?"

"Yeah, right! That makes sense. Weren't you doing gymnastics back then?"

"I was. That's why I'm so flexible," she responded with a suggestive smile.

"Beth, I remember now! We talked about, uh, music, right? And our lives at home, our parents. I told you my parents were gone, but… you knew that, didn't you?"

She nodded sadly.

"I did," Beth whispered.

He brushed her cheek with the back of his hand.

"I remember that night. It was an important one. A big one."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah," Jack said with a nod, "I came home and Will was there. He yelled at me for fighting, getting into trouble, being an asshole in general. I yelled back. Called him names, all that. I ran away, took the two hundred bucks I had to my name and went to live with some friends out in New Hampshire. I got back a while later and lived with Paul and his family."

Beth nodded, understanding now.

"Oh. That explains a lot."

"Yeah. For a while after, I did think about that time."

"You did?"

"Mmm-hmm. Yeah. You stuck with me for a while. I wondered why this random girl just decided to talk to me!"

"Maybe it's because she thought you were cute."

"Oh, yeah? I remember thinking that Courtney chick was pretty cute, too."

"It was a sign."

"Absolutely."

They turned to each other, each being able to read the other's thoughts. They kissed briefly, but enough to let each other know what they were feeling.

"Good pillow talk, Beth."

"Thank you," she said softly.

"For what?"

"Everything. Thank you for telling me about what happened to me. It must have been hard to do it."

"It was," Jack said, "but it needed to be done. And I'm glad I was able to tell you."

She grabbed his hand and held it up to the moonlight that streamed into her room. Beth brushed his fingers and watched them interlock.

"I'm glad you did, too. I'm glad we're here now and we're together. Everything that happened to me, it's in the past now. You made sure of it."

"All that's done now."

"It is. There's just you and I. And whatever else comes next."

"I wouldn't have it any other way."

Beth smiled. The low light danced around in her eyes.

"I'm serious when I say I love you," she said.

"I'm serious too. I love you, Beth."

Her smile widened.

"I love you too, Jack Joyce."

Jack fell asleep that night happier, happier than he had ever been. It had been a big day. And he appreciated sleep when it came to him.

In the morning, he would wake up next to Beth Wilder. And this time, it wasn't a dream.


	5. Chapter 5

"Wakey-wakey."

Jack's eyelids slowly rose open, mostly against his will. When they finally did open all the way, he saw Beth sitting up on her knees before him.

A low groan rumbled in his throat as he stretched his tired limbs.

"Someone slap me or something, because I must be dreaming," he drowsily said.

Beth reached out and gave him a slap on the cheek. Not strong enough to actually hurt, but just strong enough to wake him up.

"Oh," Jack said as he touched the spot where she had left a light stinging sensation, "I guess I'm not dreaming."

She giggled and leaned over to give him a kiss. When they broke apart, Jack had one hand up in her hair and gave her messy locks a few strokes with his fingers.

"Good morning, gorgeous," he said to her softly.

"Good morning, my handsome, sweet, sexy, funny, and so, so, _so _charming boyfriend!"

He wrapped his arms around her and rolled her over so she was below him. Beth giggled maniacally and pretended to struggle against him. Jack pressed himself atop her body and gave her a kiss, one that was quite passionate despite his lingering drowsiness.

"I gotta top that one somehow," Jack said.

"Oh yeah?" she whispered.

"Yeah. Here…"

He cleared his throat.

"Good morning my gorgeous, beautiful, sexy, badass, witty, and devastatingly sarcastic girlfriend."

Beth grinned and flicked his nose with her index finger.

"Pretty good."

After another kiss, Beth placed a hand on his chest and pushed him away.

"Okay. I think it's time to get out of bed."

"I don't think so," Jack replied.

She smirked.

"Fine. You stay here. Me? I got to make breakfast."

Jack pulled the blankets around him and rested his head on the pillow.

"You're _so_ good to me," he said as he looked to the ceiling.

Beth climbed over him, making sure to lightly knee him in the stomach ("accidentally," of course), and made her way to her dresser. Jack sat up to watch her pick out clothes for the day. He admired the definition of her lithe back as she pulled on a pair of black yoga pants and a red top.

"Hope you don't mind me bumming it again," she said as she looked herself over in the mirror and tossed her hair around.

"Oh, no, not at all. I am a pretty big fan of the black yoga pants."

"Oh yeah?"

"I think you wear them pretty well."

She did not turn to him and continued to adjust her messy hair in the mirror. However, she did lean forward while arching her back _just so_, pretending to examine a section of her hair.

Jack smiled. She certainly knew how to get his heart beating and blood pumping early in the morning.

"Is that so?" Beth idly asked.

"I think so, at least."

"Well. Then you're in luck. A pretty good part of my wardrobe is black yoga pants."

She stepped away from the dresser and left the bedroom, leaving Jack a bit disappointed she was finished showing off.

"Hey!" she called from the living room.

"Yeah?"

Beth walked back into the bedroom and pitched the t-shirt he had discarded the previous night at him. Jack tried to catch it, but he missed completely and the shirt landed on his face. When Jack removed it from his eyes, Beth was smirking at him.

"Go get dressed. I'm making French toast."

"Ugh. I was wearing these clothes all day yesterday," he complained as he got up and began to collect his scattered garments.

Beth shrugged.

"Believe it or not, I'm not sure I have anything that'll fit you. I mean- you could just walk around naked. I wouldn't complain too much."

"You first."

She rolled her eyes and turned to leave the room with a chuckle.

"Nice try."

* * *

Jack felt like he could get used to mornings like this.

Waking up next to Beth Wilder. Joining her in the dining room for some coffee and the usual sarcastic banter.

Then again, he hoped he would never get used to it.

"How's the toast?" she asked in a sing-song voice.

"Best damn French toast I've ever had," he reported.

"It better be," she huffed.

"How'd you sleep last night?"

"I slept great, babe," she said with a grin.

"No dreams, no troubling memories," Beth added, "I just sat there and slept. What about you?"

"Best night of sleep I've ever had."

"Why's that?" Beth asked.

Their eyes locked. Jack smiled and reached out his hand. Beth knew to reach her own out and take it.

"Because I got to spend the night with you by my side. And I realize now, that that's probably the only thing I'll need to be happy."

He was beginning to notice how she became embarrassed. It was always with a small downward turn to the floor, as if she was self-conscious of the little smile she tried to suppress and the pink flush that invaded her cheeks, causing her skin to glow.

Jack loved it.

_Isn't she just the most beautiful woman you've ever seen or what?_

He did not realize Beth had risen, finished with her breakfast.

"Are you almost done there?" she asked.

"Huh? Oh, yeah. Give me… five more bites."

"Sounds good. Put the dishes in the washer, alright?" she ordered.

Jack chuckled.

"Of course."

Beth walked behind Jack and draped her arms over his shoulders. Jack put a hand over the one she rested on his heart. Beth gave a quiet groan of satisfaction as she rested her head on his right shoulder.

"I'm gonna take a shower. Finish up quick enough, and you can come join me."

She kissed him on the cheek.

"I need to save money on my water bill, you know," Beth added.

Jack could almost feel her sly smile smouldering the side of his face.

She withdrew her arms and departed. Jack watched her leave and then turned back to his breakfast.

He finished in two bites.

* * *

"Hmm," Jack mused as he stared at himself in her bathroom mirror.

"Hmm?" Beth repeated in a questioning tone from where she was getting dressed outside.

"There's a hickey," he said matter-of-factly.

Beth walked back into the bathroom. She came up to his side and examined his shirtless form in the mirror.

"Where?"

"Right here," Jack pointed, "right above my collarbone."

"Oh. Oh, come on. It's not that big! No one will see when you wear a shirt, anyway."

He shrugged.

"Not worried about that. I just never would have pegged Beth Wilder as someone who likes to leave hickeys."

Beth chuckled and lightly slapped his cheek.

"For the right guy? There's a _lot_ to find out."

She turned around and displayed her back to him.

"Hook my bra for me," she commanded.

Jack obeyed. Beth thanked him and pulled her shirt back on.

"Look at you. So useful. Looks like I'm finally getting a return on my investment."

* * *

Jack flopped down on the couch and sighed, tilting his head upward to stare at the ceiling. Beth jumped onto the couch, turned onto her back, and laid down, resting her head in Jack's lap. He absentmindedly ran a hand through her hair, which has fanned out to consume much of his lower body.

"Mmm," Beth purred quietly at the feeling of his fingers through her hair.

"What do you wanna do today?" he asked.

Beth shrugged.

"I don't know. What do _you_ wanna do today?"

"Staying inside would be nice."

Beth looked up at him. Jack bent his head down to meet her smiling face.

"You read my mind."

"One of my Chronon powers. Comes in handy."

She rolled her eyes.

"I'm _sure_."

Beth shot up and turned herself around so she was sitting in Jack's lap.

"I am a bit curious, I'll admit, about your place. I gotta see what exactly Monarch is paying for."

"It's not fancy, promise."

She pouted. Her gaze pierced right through Jack, making his heart flutter and heat rise in his chest.

"Oh?" she whispered, "you, uh, don't want me to go back to your place and make you some nice dinner?"

"Is that all?"

"We'll have to see how well you behave," with a smile that let Jack know what he would be in for should he remain on his best behavior.

Beth wrapped her arms around his neck and went in for a kiss. Jack responded by putting his hands on her back and pulling her closer to him. Beth adjusted herself so she was now fully straddling him. Their kiss deepened, each pulling in their partner. Jack felt the air grow active with a familiar electric feeling, as well as heat rising from within his core and creeping up his chest. His hands went down her back, past her shirt and down to her yoga pants, where he just imagined what her warm skin would feel like past the thin material-

She laughed and gently pushed off him. Jack snapped back to reality. He had not even realized that their little morning kiss was threatening to turn into something more.

"Let's, uh, save that for later?" she suggested.

"I think so," Jack agreed.

Beth grinned and swung her legs to the side to spring up from the couch.

"To your place it is, then."

"Maybe you should pack an overnight bag or something so you're not running around in the same outfit for twenty-four hours," Jack told her as she walked to her bedroom.

Beth stopped and turned around, smirking before crossing her arms over her chest.

"Aren't you a bit presumptuous?"

"Yeah, maybe I am. Why don't you pack a toothbrush while you're at it? You can leave it at my place."

"Thanks for reminding me. I'll be around a lot, I think."

Jack scoffed mockingly.

"And _I'm_ the presumptuous one."

* * *

This was probably what being with someone you truly love was like.

Jack and Beth had, true to their words, spent the whole day inside. They played Jenga. Watched a movie. Made some sandwiches for lunch. Took a nap together. Went for a walk around the neighborhood. Made fun of some hipster couple moving in down the block. They walked to a nearby grocery store to get some supplies for the next week. And now, they sat on the couch and just talked. They had been keeping this up for over an hour.

It was just so ordinary, so run-of-the mill, Jack loved it. It was what he just wanted so badly out of life, what he did not realize he needed until he had it. After the kind of life he had led for much of his formative years, he was ready to live a boring life.

When he and Beth were talking on the couch, he watched her eyes become sparked to life by their discussion. He watched her throw her head back in laughter at his dumb stories. He just watched as she sat there, head leaning on an open palm, listening intently with a smirk on her face.

Beth Wilder was it. She was the one. The love of his life. He knew right then and there, and had known for a while now. Jack saw once again the vision in his head, the one from the previous day. Beth in her flowing white dress, gently taking his hand into her own. She looked up, locking eyes with him, laughing as if she could not believe they were doing what Jack was imagining. And what was that, exactly? _Getting married_.

Jack blinked the thoughts away.

_Maybe we should give it a little longer before we start talking about that_.

"So, anyway, this conversation is making me pretty hungry," Beth said, reminding Jack of the present situation.

"Yeah, I think keeping you entertained has sapped me of all of my energy. I might starve to death before this evening is over."

Beth held up a lone middle finger as she walked into Jack's kitchen.

"Okay," Beth began as she pulled all the ingredients she would need and placed it onto the counter next to the oven, "let's see if I can work with what you got here."

"What are you making, again?"

Beth groaned from the kitchen.

"You forgot already?"

"I was distracted."

"We're- well, I am, making pizza."

"Excuse me? I would help, you know. But you just yell at me."

"I do. I guess I'm just a bitch like that."

"Whatever. Just don't forget- I offered."

Beth chuckled as she opened up a can of dough.

"Yeah, that earns you a few points. Go put on something on the TV- I need the noise."

Jack complied, allowing Beth to begin her work. They spent the next hour and a half making dinner. Beth actually permitted Jack to assist her this time around. He got to form the dough into a shape suitable for spreading toppings, while Beth made the sauce. Eventually, she exiled him back to the couch, where he took a seat until he finally heard the oven ringing to signify two finished pizzas.

"Oh, finally!" Jack called as he stretched out in preparation for rising to join Beth.

He heard Beth opening the oven door.

"Hm, they look pretty good, if I may say so," she reported.

"Great!"

Still on the couch, Jack was startled by the sound of a ceramic plate crashing to the ground and shattering. After jumping, he laughed.

"Oh, boy, nice going, Beth!"

She did not respond to his quip. Jack turned around and saw her standing there, shock still, staring off into space. Her mouth was agape, and Jack could see her chest rapidly rising and falling.

"Beth?" he said, his voice full of concern, "everything okay?"

She reached up slowly and placed a hand on her throat, as if she was having difficulty breathing. Beth slowly shook her head and made a low whimper. Jack stood up, immediately becoming distressed at the sight of her.

At first, he thought she was having some kind of medical episode. That was before he noticed the tears streaming down her face.

"Beth?! Beth!" Jack cried, immediately running into the kitchen, his instinct to protect her kicking into overdrive.

Beth slammed her palms into her face and doubled over, letting out a long sob.

"Fuck! Oh, God! No, no, no, _no_…" Beth yelled- not to him, but to what seemed like the world in general.

Jack had witnessed something like this a few times in the past. Seeing it happen to Beth was like someone shoving a white-hot knife through his heart. It was a panic attack. Something had triggered a deep-set feeling within her, enough to cause Beth, the strongest person Jack knew, to launch into an uncontrollable panic.

It uncomfortably reminded him of the previous timeline- heading back to 2010 through Will's time machine, finding the Beth who had spent eleven years alone waiting for him. He saw her try to keep up a stony exterior, but Jack quickly saw she was barely holding it together. Eleven years by herself, with the only company being the weight of her mission.

He had been able to see the ghostly visage of Beth from some earlier time, an impression played back by a cloud of Chronons. An echo, as she called them. It was her, pacing the rundown bedroom she had established in a side room of the pool hall.

_I can't do this anymore. I can't. I can't. I can't fucking do this!_ The shifting image of Beth cried as it paced the room before collapsing to her knees.

His attention snapped back to the present, where he watched Beth going through the very same thing. But, this time, she wasn't alone. He was there. And if he was there, he would do anything he could to prevent Beth from experiencing those feelings once again.

"Beth!" Jack said as he put a hand on her shoulder.

Beth snapped her shoulder away. Jack's hand hovered in the air where she once was. He stood there, watching her suffering as if she was alone once more. He felt his own heart sinking and a heavy feeling dropping into his stomach. Jack felt like he was about to share her grief.

She grabbed a handful of hair in both hands and pulled, eyes screwed shut as tears streamed down her face.

"Why?" Beth choked, "what- what the fuck? I can't- I fucking _can't!_"

Jack gently, but firmly wrapped his arms around her. Beth shouted and thrashed against him, causing Jack to tighten his grip around her, just so he could let her know he was there and not going anywhere.

"Beth, Beth, Beth," he whispered as he pulled Beth into him. She allowed herself to be moved closer to him, suddenly stopping her struggling. She also allowed Jack to lean into her, resting his chin atop her head.

"Beth, hey," Jack said, softly, but loud enough to be heard over her feverish panting.

He heard her swallow hard as she attempted to get her breathing controlled.

"Look at me," he implored her quietly.

Beth slowly turned to face him. Jack ran his hands down her arms, which were being used to hug herself. Beth slowly looked up to meet his eyes. Jack saw her own eyes were puffy, ringed with red, and watery. Tears glistened on her cheeks as a stray tear rolled down her cheek and down her chin.

"Come on, Beth. Breathe with me, okay?" he instructed her.

Jack took a deep, exaggerated breath. Beth stared at him, mouth closed as if it was sewn shut. She stared at him with wide eyes, as if she was still determining if he was real or not.

Jack took another breath. He took a gulp of air before slowly exhaling it, wanting Beth to follow along. On his third breath, she mimicked him. He kept doing this until he saw her breathing returning to normal. He hoped this meant her panic fading, or getting it as under control as they could right now.

He slowly reached up and cupped her cheeks in his hands.

"Beth, you're okay. You're safe. Nothing's gonna hurt you. Not while I'm here. And I'm not going anywhere."

Her upper lip quivered. Beth looked like she wanted to say something, but it came out as a whimper. Instead, she buried her head into his shoulder while flinging her arms around him. Jack felt her exhale heavily into his shirt.

"Jack, what the hell is wrong with me?"

"There's not a single thing wrong with you."

"No? You- you think people just start acting like this? While making _fucking pizza?_" Beth asked with a mirthless laugh of disbelief.

"You have a reason for those feelings, Beth. And they're valid."

"No," Beth said with a soft scoff, "no. I've trained myself to be better than this, to not just… break down."

"Why don't we talk about it?"

Beth released him and looked at the floor, rubbing her forearm tensely.

"I- I don't really want to," she said quietly, "let's… just eat."

Jack nodded once.

"You know I only want what's best for you. So, if you really don't want to, that's fine. But, if you wanna talk, I'm ready for it anytime."

Beth stared at him hard. Her eyes softened. Jack knew she was trying to keep up her walls, trying to make sure she wasn't seen as weak. Not that he would ever think that of her.

"Okay. Shit. Fine, we'll talk about it."

He smiled a small smile.

"Okay. What happened?"

She put her hands on her hips and shifted. Beth rolled her eyes and smirked.

"You're going to think it's… really stupid."

"You know that's not true."

Beth pressed her back against a row of cabinets. She slid down to take a seat on the floor and pulled her knees up to her chest. Jack took a seat next to her. Beth sighed, staring at the dishwasher across from her.

"I remembered something."

She stated it simply, matter-of-factly. Jack nodded once.

"From before?" he asked.

"Yeah. Yeah."

She shrugged and ran her hands over her face.

"Like I said, stupid. It's not like I actually experienced it, personally. You made sure of that."

Jack nodded. He just wanted to let her talk. In his experience, that was often a good remedy for getting things off one's mind.

"But, it just felt… so goddamn real. Like I was experiencing the feelings myself for the first time, even if they did happen to another me in some other universe or whatever."

"What did you remember?"

She chuckled.

"It wasn't so much remembering. I relived it, like I was there all over again. But… anyway. I remembered one night in… 2006, I think. Four years before you would come through the time machine. I'd already made it almost seven years in the past by then. As the years went by, closer and closer to 2010, I just felt like… like, I just couldn't do it. I started to doubt my mission. Started to doubt if you'd even arrive at all. I kept going for all those years, but, around this time, it was starting to really… wear on me. When I pulled the pizza out of the oven, I smelled it, and it just, you know, just bought me back."

"Really?" Jack asked.

"That's why I said it was stupid. Imagine being sent into a panic attack because of pizza."

"It's not stupid, Beth! There's no need to justify your feelings- not with me."

She reached over and grasped his hand tightly.

"You're too good to me."

"You deserve it."

She faced him. He saw that familiar flush entering her face while her mouth turned up into a smile. Jack was happy he was making her smile, at least.

"Anyway- that night in the old time, I remember that I was making dinner. I was thinking about rewarding myself for all my hard work dodging Monarch and helping Will make the Countermeasure. So, I was heating up some frozen pizza on a hot plate. No full kitchen down in the pool hall, I'm sure you know. My hot plate was an old one, barely worked as-is. It broke. During the middle of the cooking, right when it was almost done. I got so, _so_ mad. I picked it up and just tossed it against the wall. I was screaming, cursing, and that's when it hit me. All the feelings that had been bottled up, everything that I just tried to keep a lid on all those years."

The grip on his hand loosened, then tightened.

"And I had a reaction like the one you just saw."

He was silent. Jack knew that words were going to fail him. So he wrapped an arm around her and pulled her in tight. Beth willingly fell into him. Jack stroked her hair as she leaned her head on his shoulder. They were quiet for a time.

"I'm sorry you had to see me like that."

Jack looked at Beth. She turned her head slightly to face him.

"Why are you apologizing?" Jack asked.

"Because you didn't sign up for… this."

He chuckled softly.

"You didn't come with a list of terms and conditions I had to agree to. I'm here with you because I love you, and I was fully committed to accepting everything that would come with that. And I still am. Whatever happens, I intend to be here no matter what."

"Why are you so good to me?" she asked. There was no sarcasm in her voice. Beth was genuinely curious, as if she did not know why Jack was doing this whole "being in love with Beth Wilder" thing.

"I don't know, Beth. I guess you're just someone who deserves to be treated good."

He saw a smile break out across her stony face.

"That's not a very good answer!"

"Oh, well," Jack replied in mock displeasure, "I think it is!"

"Nope. A bit too general."

"Fine. Fine."

He snuggled her closer, so Beth knew that the words he was about to say were coming straight from the heart.

"I know we haven't known each other very long. And our relationship is a very… unusual one," Jack began.

"You could say that. It's a bit of an understatement."

"Sure is. But, I think what we have, what we've done, what we've experienced, it all means something. I feel like I've known you forever. I wish I did. You know- I almost feel like the universe, or the multiverse, or the Meyer-Joyce Field- whatever, brought us together for a reason."

She laughed softly.

"What, like we're meant to be or something?"

"Something like that," he agreed with a shrug, "but, I feel like it's a bit more complex than that."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah. I just feel whatever it is, whatever force is controlling our lives, made our paths cross for a reason."

"You must read a lot of fairy tales, Jack."

"No. No. Well, maybe I _am_ the romantic type," he replied, causing Beth to chuckle.

"But," continued in a more serious tone, "our lives were not fairy tales. We both had our share of hardship. Sacrifices we had to make. General unlucky bullshit that got tossed in our faces. But, what we've done- you've done- meant that we can live normal, boring, comfortably upper-middle class lives."

She lifted her head up from his shoulder and turned it around so she could face him. Jack mimicked her actions.

"Is that what you want?" she asked.

"After everything that's happened, I wouldn't want anything else. And whatever happens now, whatever happens next? I want it to be with you. That's all. Everything else can be secondary."

Finally, he saw the smile he was waiting for spread across her face as her cheeks turned red.

"You know what, Jack? I think I'm ready for that, too."

"And, of course… I need to add, I'm not going anywhere. If you need me to be there for you, I'll be here."

Beth nodded.

"Me too, Jack. You know that I'll be here for you, no matter what. We're stuck together, so… yeah. That sounds like a plan."

"You know what else sounds like a plan?" Jack asked.

"What?" Beth responded as he stood up and reached out both of his hands to help her to her feet.

"Pizza."

Beth laughed.

"Oh, shit. Forgot about that… it might be a bit cold by now."

"Hey, that's okay. I think it'll be delicious regardless."

"You're just saying that."

"Uh, no, I'm not. If your cooking was bad… I'll tell you!"

"No, you wouldn't. Because you know I'd drop kick you through the kitchen table."

"You don't want me to be honest with you?" he said with a pouty frown.

Beth jammed a finger into his chest.

"I do. But not with that. I take my cooking _very_ seriously."

They fished out the two lukewarm personal pizzas from the oven. Jack and Beth took their seats at his dining room table and poured some drinks.

"You okay?" Jack asked before they could tuck into their meals.

She looked up at him, playing with her glass of wine.

"Yeah. I think so. Thank you."

"Of course. Just remember. You're stuck with me."

She reached out her glass, which Jack took as a sign to raise up her own. They clinked their glasses together as Beth smiled.

"I wouldn't have it any other way."

* * *

Jack's bedroom was up on the second floor. It was roomy enough for his use, but he was so glad he could share it with the love of his life now. Beth was next to him, red hair tumbling in waves down her shoulders as she rested her head on her pillow, staring up at the ceiling with him.

Outside, the light from the streetlights streamed in through the thin gaps in his blinds, painting Beth's skin in stripes of pale light. They were quiet, but thoughtful, each thinking of the other and what their relationship would be like in the coming weeks, months, and indeed, years. Neither spoke it, but both were beyond happy with how their lives were going at the present moment.

"Hey, Beth?" Jack spoke up.

"Yeah?" she replied.

"I have a question."

"Shoot."

"What's your relationship with your parents like?"

He heard the sheets and pillow rustling. Jack slowly turned his head to look in her direction and found her smirking at him.

"Really? _That's_ what you're thinking about?"

"I was just curious-"

She gave him a slight push and chuckled.

"I'm joking. Yeah. My parents… they never understood me."

"That's something most people would say. It's the endless struggle."

"True. But, I think they made a special effort of it. Since I was a little girl, I felt like they had me pigeonholed into some idealized role that they had planned for me. Obviously, a quest to prevent the End of Time was not something they planned for me."

"Not sure if it was planned for _any_ of us."

"Yeah, well, I had to prepare for it. You and Will, you were both thrown into it, pretty much. Honestly? If the End of Time never happened and I lived a relatively normal life, I probably would have joined the military or something- just to get away from them."

"What did they want you to do?"

She gave a humorless laugh. Jack could tell Beth was recalling an entire childhood of memories that chased her into adulthood.

"They wanted me to become a lawyer or something. Or, better yet, not even apply myself and just marry a rich stockbroker or hedge fund manager. I grew up rich and comfortable, very comfortable. I won't lie. My mom and dad believed that they could throw money at things that would make me be the ideal daughter. In high school, they were telling me how they could buy my way into Harvard."

"It sounds like they didn't believe you."

"No, it's more like… they just didn't understand me. Nothing I did earned their approval, because everything I did was fundamentally against what they wanted me to do. I had spent enough time trying to satisfy them that I decided that I needed to do what I had to do."

It was a far cry from Jack's childhood, growing up with a mom and dad that cared for him and Will no matter what. He still missed them every day.

"They live in North Carolina, last time I checked," Beth continued, "ya know, the new retiree land. I kinda lost touch with them after I got into Monarch's security program after high school. And I know, for a fact, they would never, _ever_ approve of you."

"Is that so?"

"Yeah," she said with a humorous laugh this time around, "definitely. You're too… blue collar for them."

"Oh, 'blue collar,' huh?"

"Yeah, I think that's the term I'd use."

They both chuckled. Jack could imagine Beth bringing Jack over for dinner at her parent's home and watching her prim, proper, stuffy, and very rich parents reacting to Jack being Jack. He would try to charm them, of course, and fail miserably, much to Beth's distress. Or amusement. Maybe that exact scenario was playing out in some other universe or timeline.

"But you know something, Jack? I honestly don't care what they think of me, of you, of us, the life we'll be leading. I don't. I'm determined to just do what makes me happy."

"And that includes me?" he said in a low, hopeful tone.

Beth grinned and ran a hand over his cheek.

"That definitely includes you."

They both fell asleep soon enough. Two nights now they had spent together. Jack could only hope many, many more would be coming.

* * *

The shimmering tear in reality blinked.

Beyond it, was another reality. At least, that's what Will Joyce hoped.

They held the unreal, tessellating electric-blue hole in the multiverse steady for a whole three seconds.

It was just after four in the morning at the Monarch headquarters in Downtown Riverport. Will and his small team has been trying all day to keep the tear open. They were so close to a breakthrough, so close to providing a way to glimpse other worlds- and maybe even step into them. Hatch was watching his department closely. He told them constantly that Monarch would be on the frontlines of the "coming war."

He, of course, refused to elaborate on what the war would be against, precisely.

"That's fourteen milliseconds more than last time," Research Assistant Jessica Kenny said in a subdued, but hopeful tone.

Will smiled and nodded.

"Any progress is good progress, Jess."

Will rubbed his eyes. He was tired. His eyes were glazing over from pouring over constant streams of data, numbers, and equations. Every other minute, it felt like he was running over to the computers to run a new equation, adjust a value by a minuscule amount. Coffee had long since ceased to perk him up.

His fellow researchers were equally exhausted. He was sure all of them would want nothing more than to just go home and crawl into bed. But, he also knew that, much like him, they were not going to give up, not when they were _this close_.

Will strolled over to the central computer that ran the arcane technology Monarch had been building to punch a whole in the fabric of space-time. Will knew that at their core, their basic principles were similar to the time machines that Monarch had disassembled and locked somewhere.

Tiredly working on a computer, straining to read the endless series of numbers and equations before him- it all reminded Will of something. Something that felt like equal parts a memory and a dream, but at the same time being both of those things. Will could see himself in the decrepit interior of a long-abandoned swimming hall, toiling away at a home-built time machine. He saw these half-memories through his own eyes, like he had lived them. They felt real. When did they happen? Was it the other timeline? Before-

A gunshot interrupted his train of thought. Will shot up from the console, his fellow researchers all turning toward the source, somewhere beyond the sealed, bulletproof metal door to the lab.

There was a rapid, muffled burst of gunfire. An angry scream.

"Someone call security," Will began. He knew that was probably a futile venture. If there was an incident, they would have been told already. There would be a lockdown.

Right?

"Phone's dead," Jessica reported, holding up the lab's emergency phone in one hand.

"Cell phones?" Will asked.

Everyone produced their phones. Everyone shook their head and reported the same thing. No signal. In fact, it was like something was messing with the electronics in the phones themselves, disrupting them, making them glitchy and unresponsive.

"Okay," Will said, "okay. Let's-"

The door slid open. He stopped, looking to see who had entered. His fellows did the same.

Heavy footfalls were the first indication that whoever was coming in was not looking for an idle chat about the multiverse.

A figure stepped into the lab. It was dressed head to toe in gunmetal gray armor and fatigues, carrying an unusual-looking assault rifle in black-gloved hands. Will took notice of the various devices and pieces of equipment hanging off the figure's webbing and vest. Will was not an expert in military gear, but he knew his tech very well- and this equipment did not look like anything Will had ever seen.

Billowing around the figure was a long covering resembling a cloak or a poncho. This cloak was gray like its armor, and had a subtle geometric pattern. Camouflage of some kind. Will finally met the figure's face, or at least tried to.

Its face was covered by a gray mask. Smooth, expressionless, utterly featureless save for two optical lenses that glowed a blood red from the under shadows cast by the hood of its cloak-like garment.

The intruder almost imperceptibly turned its head left and right, as if it was surveying the room and its occupants. Will and his researchers could not speak and instead found themselves backing away from the figure. Not that there was anywhere else to go.

More figures came in from the doorway, each dressed and armed similarly to the first one. Soon, at least fifteen armed intruders had fanned out across the lab, regarding Will and his team from behind the glowing red eyes of their armored masks.

The leader, as Will assumed it to be, stepped forward. It adjusted its grip on its weapon.

"Who's in charge here?" it spoke, in a distorted, electronically filtered voice that sounded male.

Jessica whimpered. Will felt his heart pounding against his ribcage and the feeling of hot fear under his collar.

The leader shook its head.

"Again," it asked, its agitation plain even through the distortion of its voice filter, "who is in charge here?"

"Me."

It turned to look at Will.

"Me," Will repeated, "just me. They have nothing to do with this."

It made a sound. Maybe it was an amused chuckle.

"Hard to believe. Step forward."

Will complied. He could feel the eyes of both the attackers and his team on him.

The leader stepped forward. It was at least a head taller than Will and leered down at him with the red lenses that seemed to be analyzing him.

"William Joyce. Perfect," it said after a moment, "here's how this works. We need something from you. You will give it to us. Do we have an agreement?"

"What do you want?" Will asked, attempting to sound confident and unintimidated. He was probably failing and he knew it.

The figure leaned back and nodded.

"I want to get paid. My... benefactors want to travel through time."


End file.
